To The Moon And Back
by britbojangles
Summary: Musicians Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel embark on supposedly separate, and certainly not equal tours in hopes of earning the type of attention that will send their careers sky rocketing. During these separate and unequal tours Blaine and Kurt reconnect after years of separation, fall apart once again, and rebuild what they once had through alcohol, sex, and electric pop music.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Please read the author's note at the end. **

* * *

"_Before I say anything, I'd like to thank all of you, all the fans that have stuck by me over the past few months. I want to send a giant thank you to all the people that voted for the hook of an unknown artist on a major track. I want to thank all of you that shared in my excitement when my hook and vocals were used on that track. I want to thank all of you that bought 'Holy Grail' when it dropped and I want to thank all of you that continued to believe in me as the song sky rocketed to the top of the charts. Thank you all so much for believing in me when you had no reason to._

_I cannot offer you much in return for your support but I hope what I have will suffice. Tonight, at midnight, I will be releasing my debut album, entitled __**There You Are**__, on my Bandcamp page. It will be free for the first twenty-four hours as a thanks to all of you. I understand that this is short notice and I want you all to benefit from this. _

_For those of you that are willing and able to spend the $15 that I'm asking for this album, I have another little something. With the purchase of my album, you will receive a 15% code for tickets to my concert tour, which starts next month. I'm really looking forward to it and, more than that, I'm looking forward to seeing all of you. Thank you again for your support. God speed." _

* * *

**BlaineAnderson: It's been almost a month since I announced the tour and the album. The album is still selling like crazy and the tour isn't doing so bad either. Who has a ticket to the NYC show at Webster Hall tonight?**

Blaine tossed his phone down on his neatly made bed just after sending out the tweet. _Well...not my bed, not anymore._ Once he left for the tour, he was certain his soon-to-be ex-husband would change the locks, and that was fine. Most of the musician's belongings resided at his brother's house in Brooklyn these days. The few exceptions were the items that Blaine was packing at that exact moment. It was the beginning of a new month -October, the beginning of his international tour -_I can call it that because we're going to Toronto. That's in Canada_.- and the beginning of his new life. Blaine couldn't wait.

* * *

It'd all started a year prior, just as a fruitless summer full of shows at local dive bars and burn out spots turned into a fall of doing exactly the same. During that time, as the heat subsided and leaves began to fall from the trees, Blaine began to sink into a funk. It was as if his career -one that hadn't fully started yet- was taking residence in the middle of a quick sand pit. It felt as if the musician was sinking and there was no one to help him. Or so he thought.

One person Blaine Anderson always knew he could count on was Santana Lopez. She was fun and witty, and everything Blaine needed when he was in a funk. She recognized the aura of melancholy surrounding her friend almost instantly and began making suggestions.

"_Let's do another demo tape! That guy, Artie, from before is totes willing to help with it again." _

"_No." _

"_Let's try at a larger venue again. It never hurts to try." _

"_No." _

"_Let's make a sex tape." _

"_What? No!"_

Like all her suggestions, the one Santana made early one September afternoon was immediately shot down. "Arrogant Overlord is holding a 'hook' contest. He's looking for an artist in the area to write the hook for one of his songs. You should enter."

"No."

Luckily for Blaine and his future career, Santana did not relent that day as she had many times before. "Oh, come on!" She insisted. "You're an amazing musician and he's pretty freaking famous! Winning this could totes make you like...a superstar."

Blaine liked the idea -loved it actually- but he could not see the contest going any better than the many shows he'd done recently. He could not imagine the contest working out in his favor when having a talent scout in the audience -coerced into the building by Cooper of all people- had not. A self-fulfilling prophecy of failure loomed heavy over Blaine's head. "It's a waste of time, Tana. I'm not going to win so there is no point in entering. Besides, isn't Arrogant Overlord that rapper that's always talking about 'his bitches this' and 'his bitches that'? I don't want to be associated with that!"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Yes, but that was before. He's trying to clean up his act. He wants to make music now, rather than 'club bangers'. And there _is_ a point in entering. The point is I already printed out the contest guidelines and ink ain't cheap." Santana tossed a stack of stapled papers down before her friend. "I want my investment back and we know your broke ass can't pay for ink so..."

That day, that single conversation, was the starting point for the rest of Blaine's life. With much poking and prodding from Santana and his brother, Blaine sat down and wrote lyrics that he felt would soften the rapper's verses. He used his own experiences to write what he felt was a masterpiece of epic proportions.

_And baby, it's amazing I'm in this maze with you  
I just can't crack your code  
One day you screaming you love me loud  
The next day you're so cold  
One day you're here, one day you're there, one day you care  
You're so unfair, sipping from your cup 'til it runneth over, Holy Grail_

And his feelings were correct. Blaine won the contest by a landslide. Once the rapper's team placed Blaine's lyrics on the Arrogant Overlord website as an option, the votes poured in like water down a raging river. The Arrogant Overlord camp was pleased and Blaine was flabbergasted. Never in a million years had he expected to win.

Once Blaine was announced as the winner, his life sped up dramatically. Within weeks of his win, the young man was stood in a recording booth, turning his written words into a vocalized work of art.

The single dropped the first week of October and was a runaway hit. It quickly soared to the top of the hip hop and pop charts. Overnight, Arrogant Overlord -a name Blaine did not understand until he realized that rap names did not have to be understood- became a relevant, household name again. Along with him, Blaine Anderson became a success story. Everything happened so quickly that Blaine barely had time to catch his bearings before being thrust into yet another opportunity created by the smash hit song.

By November of the previous year, Blaine was traveling around the world, promoting the single and, with it, the release of Arrogant Overlord's upcoming album. He was asked many times while on this publicity tour if he had music of his own to put out and had to regretfully reply that he did not. Truthfully speaking, Blaine had tons of music that he was ready to put out but his music had to ride backseat to the rapper's; it was part of the contract he'd signed when he was announced the winner of the contest.

New York City. Toronto. Tokyo. Mexico City. London. Paris.

Blaine visited each and every one while promoting the single. At each stop, he smiled a bit, played the part of entourage member for Arrogant Overlord, and sang his heart out when it was required. He was so grateful for the opportunity that he did not ask for additional press moments or shots at solo publicity. "I'm just happy to be here." Blaine was quoted as saying time and time again.

Truth be told, Blaine was just happy to be there. He was happy to be part of something great until it was not great anymore. At the height of the song's popularity, Blaine learned just how quickly he could become irrelevant. The experience was eye opening.

Blaine received the call early that he would be performing alongside Arrogant Overlord at the MTV VMAs. Initially, he was ecstatic, over the moon with excitement. He spent the remainder of that evening calling everyone he knew and then swearing them to silence. He even shared the news with his husband, who seemed less than thrilled. It didn't matter, they were already on the outs and Blaine was still riding his hit single high. Eli's feelings on the matter were irrelevant.

A few weeks before the VMAs, Blaine and Arrogant Overlord were rehearsing their performance when Blaine was pulled aside. He was told that pop diva, Shayla Rae would be replacing him for the performance and that there was no use in fighting it because the wheels were already in motion. Blaine, being Blaine, did try to fight the ruling, however. That was when he learned the extent of what he'd given up when he signed the contract following the contest. While he still owned rights to the written lyrics that he provided, he did not own any part of the recorded song, thus making it impossible for him to make decisions regarding it. Blaine was simply a puppet that was expected to dance when it was requested. Likewise, he was expected to leave when it was requested. That week, just before the VMAs, his leave was requested and Blaine was forced to oblige.

The Video Music Award performance of '_Holy Grail_' was a 'gawker, twerk fail' as Blaine liked to call it. Not only was the performance publicized as one of the worst in VMA history due to its raunchy, _not_ family friendly nature and its complete irrelevance to the song, but fans of the song wanted to know where 'the cutie that sang the hook' was. As 'the cutie that sang the hook' Blaine couldn't help but smile as he perused the internet the day following the performance.

After he was let go from the VMA performance, Blaine was no longer required to associate with the song. While he loved the work he'd put into it, he hated what the song had become. It was a mainstream nightmare that made Blaine's teeth ache and his head hurt. Blaine did not like being part of the muss and fuss of that world. So, he began to work on the simpler side of things. He'd built a tiny fan base during his time with the single and he hoped to capitalize on that. The following October was when he received his chance.

* * *

Kurt tore his gaze away from the hustle and bustle of New York City long enough to stare down at his feet. One of his tan boots -_Well...not mine. I stole them from my dad's closet because he kept wearing them to the shop_- was rebounding off the inside of the cab door as he swayed his foot to and fro. Kurt was nervous, more so than he had been since high school. In the past year, he'd single handily decided that his band was taking an indefinite hiatus from music, moved back to Ohio, cut off all contact with his girls, reopened the lines of communications with them, and decided to move back New York City so that his band could reunite. Kurt Elizabeth and the Dirty Diamonds would live to see another day. Or so Kurt hoped.

It all started the previous October, almost a year to the date. Kurt woke up late one morning with a pounding headache and a stomach that enjoyed making the motion of the ocean. When waves of nausea were not crashing against him, the thump, thump, thumping of his head was. That morning, like most mornings that year, Kurt could not seem to win. The night before he'd gotten a little too drunk, which meant that morning he was a little too hung over. He called it 'the band life'. Whenever questioned about his questionable activities or the questionable men Kurt kept around like toys waiting to be played with, Kurt always responded with those words.

"_It's 'the band life'." He'd say. _

_Or, "This is how my band lives." _

That wasn't true, not entirely. While The Dirty Diamonds, which consisted of Kate -their drummer and Kurt's best friend since college, Emily – a sick bassist that gave the legendary Tia Von Titz a run for her money, and Chelsea – the self-proclaimed 'most sought after keyboardist in the world', liked to party and drink in excess, they never did so to the caliber that Kurt did. The girls never lived up to the partying standards of their vocalist, guitarist, fearless leader, and good friend. Whatever level the girls took their party to, Kurt multiplied that by ten and strapped an explosive to it.

Such wild antics were what landed Kurt in the position he found himself in last October. When he woke that morning, Kurt could not make heads or tails of where he was. He'd drank so much the night before that he barely remembered _who_ he was. As he pried his eyes open, Kurt quickly began to realize that he was not at home. In fact, he was in a home that he did not recognize at all. Kurt's next realization was that he was naked...in a strange bed...next to a man that he could neither name nor place a face with. The man's messy mop of ginger curls covered his face, leaving Kurt to wonder what that face looked like. The fact that Kurt could not identify the man next to him caused the musician's stomach to drop for reasons that would have made his high school self sick.

Kurt Hummel was no angel, that much was evident, but he was also no devil. That morning in October, Kurt woke up next a man whose name he could not remember and whose face was a blank slate in the young man's mind. It was the third time that week that Kurt woke up next to someone he could not identify. It was the ninth time that month. To say that Kurt was, once again, disappointed in himself was an understatement.

Later that evening, Kurt made a decision. Rather than staying and living 'the band life' with his girls in New York, Kurt needed to make a change. He did not want to continue waking up next to men without names or faces. He did not want to continue to pass people in coffee shops and restaurants that knew him only in the sexual sense. So, he called his father and asked if he could move back home. While Kurt left out some of the finer details in his matter, he did make his father aware that he was trying to make some changes in his life for the better. Burt readily agreed, wanting nothing more than to help his son succeed.

That night Kurt packed what belongings he could into what luggage he owned and flew back to Ohio. He did so without consulting his friends and kept his distance for quite a while. It was the second hardest thing he'd ever done.

Kurt spent the months that followed working in his father's home office. Running multiple auto garages in the area was a ridiculously overwhelming job for the eldest Hummel but he refused to take an assistant or ask for help. He always insisted that running six of the most successful garages in the area was just as simple as running one. Kurt knew otherwise and, more than that, Kurt knew that his father was secretly grateful for the company and the help.

Together, Hummel and Hummel worked long and hard through the months to continue the level of success that Burt strove for over the years. They made a great team. Burt handled the hands on work while Kurt did his best to establish some sort of system for his father's receipts, memos, logs, and work orders. They were a complete mess when Kurt arrived _and_ when he left the following year. There was simply no system available that Burt could commit to.

After taking a few months to reevaluate what he wanted from life, Kurt began trying to contact his old band mates. He owed them an explanation and an apology. Unfortunately, the calls he made months after his departure did not go as he'd hoped.

The call to Chelsea had been awful. She'd spent the first five minutes cursing at him and the next five minutes turning his apologies into subtle threats.

"_...and I'm so sorry." _

"_Yeah, I'll make you sorry." _

"_I really do apologize." _

"_I'll make you apologize. You don't want any of this!" _

Once she was finished harassing him, Chelsea disconnected the call. Kurt did not get a chance to fully explain himself.

The call to Emily was worse. Emily was one of the most kindhearted people that Kurt knew and she sounded positively devastated when he called her. Kurt hated making her feel like that, hated making her question whether or not she'd been a good enough friend when he needed one.

"_Was there a reason that you didn't talk to me about how you were feeling? Did I do something that made you feel like you couldn't come to me with your problems?" _

She hadn't. Emily was easy listening and thoughtful. If Kurt had thought to share his self-loathing feelings with anyone, it would have been Emily. Unfortunately, he hadn't. When it came down to fight or flight, Kurt chose flight every time.

The last call Kurt made, the one he dreaded most, was to Kate. As his oldest friend of the three women, Kate was the one he should have turned to in the face of danger. She was the one he should have called when he woke up next to yet another stranger. Kurt couldn't however. Though Kate would have eventually explained why Kurt's feelings were completely understandable and tried to get to the deeper meaning behind his shallow actions -she was a psychology graduate and she spent much of her time trying to psychoanalyze the people around her- their conversation would not have started out like that. If Kurt had called Kate, the drummer would have shaken her head and then told him how disappointed she was in him. The thought hurt almost as much as the reality of the scenario would have. So, Kurt chose the road more often taken and high tailed it back to Ohio, away from the faceless men and the disappointed stares of his friends.

Unlike Chelsea's never ending rant and Emily's inquiries of friendship and loyalty, Kate listened to Kurt. She did not speak while he spoke, she simply let him tell his story. When he was finished, Kate asked her friend a single question.

"So when the hell are you coming back?"

"Soon?" Kurt replied with the inflection in his voice that made it a question. He was completely taken aback by her complete lack of interrogation on his departure. Kate seemed not to care about why he left and only about when he would return. The idea warmed Kurt's heart. He knew the others girls likely felt the same but were too shocked by his sudden reappearance to ask show it. Hearing it from Kate made Kurt want to get back to New York as soon as possible. "Really soon. I'd like to get the band back together. I know I just disappeared and I forced a hiatus on us but...if you'll have me..."

"Uh duh!" Kate responded without hesitation. "We can't be Kurt Elizabeth and the Dirty Diamonds without Kurt. I mean, we could just be The Dirty Diamonds but then Chelsea has to sing lead and she has to be _really_ drunk for that."

"Trust me, I know. I remember that time I had laryngitis and she had to sing lead while I played in the background. We practically had to buy the bar to get her to do it and then she kept almost falling off stage."

"Awww...those were the days." Kate mused from the other end of the line.

The two stayed on the phone into the wee hours of the morning. They discussed everything from Chelsea's on again, off again, relationship with her Capitol One card.

"_Sometimes she loves it and sometimes she hates it."_

They discussed Emily's sudden lust over a mulch-instrumentalist named Dani Alvarez.

"_...and we're at a show and Emily just reaches out and tries to touch her. It was hilarious. It was at the Blaine Anderson show we all went to a few weeks ago." _

Kurt sputtered, tripped over his words, and nearly chocked on the coffee he'd been trying to down since they hit the 4 a. m. mark. He had to meet his father at the shop by seven, so there was no use attempting to sleep. In hindsight, he almost wished he had ended the conversation sooner.

"Blaine Anderson?" He squeaked.

Kate was silent for a fraction of a second. It was as if she was trying to figure out how Kurt didn't know who Blaine Anderson was. "Umm... yeah! You know, the guy that sings the hook on 'Holy Grail'. You've heard the song right?" Of course Kurt had, everyone had. Reluctantly, Kurt replied in the affirmative. In response, Kate took off with the topic of Blaine Anderson. Apparently, she and the girls were big fans.

"...so we're thinking, if he does a tour like we think he's going to do one, then we should all go. By that time you'll be back here and we can get the band back together, maybe play a few shows while we follow him around the country. I haven't talked to them about the band thing yet -obviously- but how does it sound? I think it'd be a great idea."

"Yeah. Great." Kurt answered, sounding less than enthused. Truth be told, an entire tour of nothing but Blaine Anderson was not exactly what Kurt called a good time, not after the things they went through years before. Then again, an entire tour of reconnecting with his closest of friends sounded like exactly what the doctor ordered.

* * *

The remainder of Kurt's year passed in a far more pleasant fashion. He received a call from Chelsea just before Memorial Day. She told him that, though she was still angry, she wanted them to be on good terms. She loved him like the brother she never wanted -her exact words- and could not fathom losing him from her life.

"_That's why I was so mad at you. I couldn't believe you would just leave like that." _

Kurt apologized once again and was pleasantly surprised when his friend did not turn his apology into a threat.

Next was Emily. She called just as June was turning into July. This time, she allowed Kurt to explain his situation without interrupting him. She then accepted his apology.

By August, the group was on friendly terms once again. They were beginning to discuss Kurt's return to New York and the possibility of putting out new music before the year's end. The latter wasn't likely but that did not stop the topic from coming up once in a while.

They'd also begun to discuss the possibility of a refresher tour, one in which they got themselves back into the swing of things. The band's 7,000 plus twitter followers believed that a refresher tour was exactly what the hiatus-ed band needed to get back into their groove.

**UrMomsPizza: And maybe you'll finally release a fucking album. **

One of their followers tweeted. The idea was not half bad. Who knew where the year would take them.

In September, Blaine Anderson released his album and his tour dates. Kurt purchased the album, rather than obtaining a free copy. He felt obligated to do so. He made it through half of one song before deleting the album from his computer and sending the email with the album's download link straight to his trash folder. He just couldn't.

His girls could, however. The girls made it their mission to memorize each word of each song. Kate and Chelsea then made it their mission to set up tour dates that coincided with Blaine's tour. They were fairly successful. While the band would not be playing shows in every city, they were able to secure spots in cities for most of Blaine's tour. They made sure they were playing either the day before Blaine or the day after. Thus, the Kurt's Dirty Diamonds Second Act Tour came to be.

* * *

Kurt recognized the area as his cab zoomed in and out of traffic to reach his final destination. Had Kurt just gotten off a plane to New York for the first time, he would have been petrified. A year and a half in the city taught him, however, that the controlled chaos of New York traffic was to expected and appreciated. _If someone was driving like this in Lima there would have been six or seven accidents by now._

As the taxi neared Kurt's final location, a tiny bar near Webster Hall -the one that Kate insisted on meeting him at- Kurt's heart began to race. Since he'd opted not to buy a ticket to any of Blaine's shows, he was less likely to see him during the tour. The reality of not having that weight on his shoulders was a great help. Kurt simply was not ready to face Blaine Anderson yet, not after the way things transpired between them almost seven years prior.

Kurt was, however, ready to see his friends. Though the first few days would be awkward and the last leg of the tour would likely make them or break them, Kurt was excited to see his best ladies. He was excited to see the country. Most importantly, Kurt was ready to take the first steps down the long road that would be the most exciting, fun filled, heart breaking, and therapeutic adventure of his entire life.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know. What the hell?**

**Here is the deal. I was very, very, very unhappy with the version of this story that was being posted. I let quite a few people influence the way the story went and it quickly became a story that was so far from my original plans that I barely recognized the idea as my own. To fix that, I took the story down. I've tweaked quite a few things -including ideas that were mine but simply didn't work with my vision- and now I'm writing the story again. I appreciate all of the suggestions you guys offered, and the praise I received for my own ideas, but the story did not work. Plain and simple.**

**As some of you can tell, quite a few things have changed. Please hold all questions about the changes to the story until at least chapter 10. By then all the major changes should be evident. If you have a question regarding something else, let me know. **

**'Holy Grail' is the lyrical work of art by the one and only (s?) Jay Z and Justin Timberlake. **

**For any of you wondering how I got the rapper's name (Arrogant Overlord) I just typed my name into a Wu Tang Clan name generator. Hey, it worked for Childish Gambino. **

**Let me know what you think of the changes by leaving me a big, fat, fucking review! Whether you love it (I'd like you to) or hate it (ehh...we're all entitled to our opinions) let me know. **

**Big, huge thanks to Windsor for betaing this bitch and to Belle for letting me leave you hours upon hours of recordings regarding the changes. **

**Lastly, Kurt Elizabeth and The Dirty Diamonds will have designated outfits for each show they do starting with Chapter 1. (Someone needs to take Polyvore away from Windsor and I.) If any of you would like to check out these outfits, I will be posting them on Tumblr under the tag: KADDTTMAB **

**Okay? Okay.**

**Brit**


	2. Chapter 2

**BlaineAnderson: It's been almost a month since I announced the tour and the album. The album is still selling like crazy and the tour isn't doing so bad either. Who has tickets to the NYC show at Webster Hall tonight? **

Kate sighed as she reread Blaine Anderson's tweet. She had a ticket to the show but gave it up for her best friend. Originally, Kurt was not supposed to make his great return to the city until well after the show was over. Then, in true Kurt fashion, the young man called her after buying a ticket for that afternoon.

"_I want to be there before dark. That way we can spend some real time together before hitting the road." _He said.

While the sentiment was sweet, Kate cringed a bit when the words left Kurt's mouth. She was really looking forward to seeing Blaine's show and, for whatever reason, Kurt refused to buy a ticket while they were on sale. Not wanting her friend to arrive to the same crushing loneliness that she concluded to be the actual reason for his departure, Kate gave up her ticket. It was the hardest thing she had to do that day. _Well, next to helping that elderly, tourist lady cross the street. She walked so slowly and it was so painful to move at her pace. _

**KatieSticks: BlaineAnderson I had a ticket but I gave it up to spend the night with my long lost best friend. My girls will be there though so you better give them one hell of a show. **

Chelsea and Emily half heatedly offered to give up their tickets as well. Kate rolled her eyes and shook her head. She was the one that suggested that Kurt return the first night, rather than flying straight into D. C. like Chelsea suggested. If anyone was going to miss the first show on the tour it could be Kate. She was fine with that, especially knowing that there were twenty-one more opportunities for her to see her newly crowned favorite musician perform. There was only one chance to welcome Kurt back with open arms, or so she hoped.

Kate walked into The Underside, the tiny Manhattan bar she told Kurt she would meet him at. It was owned by a good friend of hers and was close enough to Webster Hall that Chelsea and Emily would be there within minutes of the show ending.

Her phone dinged in her pocket the second she passed through the dimly lit doorway of the empty establishment. It was a tweet response to the one she'd sent Blaine.

**ChelsCKeys: KatieSticks :( LezBionicEm & I will take lots of pics of baby performing. It'll be like you didn't miss it for that tart KurtsDirtyD**

Kate chuckled to herself as she read the tweet.

**KatieSticks: ChelsCKeys LezBionicEm You know that Kurt isn't actually linked to the band twitter acct right? He hasn't been in a while. That tweet you sent went to my phone. **

**ChelsCKeys: KatieSticks LezBionicEm -_- whatever! [pic]**

The picture was of Chelsea and Emily smiling smugly at the camera of Chelsea's phone. Kate hated them for a fraction of a second. Then she remembered that she was the person that decided not to attend Blaine's show. She was the person that gave up what could have very well been a front and center spot for a fantastic performance to meet a friend. _Kurt better know how much I love him. _She told herself as she made her way to the bar.

Stood behind the bar that was sat in the middle of the room full of empty tables was Sebastian, the bar's owner. He and Kate met a few years ago when the bar was just opening. To date, the place looked just as it had when Kate first walked in all those years ago. The lights were still dim and the room felt smokey, though no one had smoked in it since long before Sebastian became its owner.

"Looky looky what the cat dragged in." Sebastian drawled as he wiped the inside of one of the many glasses that lined the bar. Sebastian Smythe, a thirty something of exceptional breeding and a smile that made the boxer briefs of young men near and far drop, looked every bit the part of a stereotypical 1990s bartender. He had a bar towel tucked in the back pocket of his jeans and an untucked plaid shirt that was buttoned up until the third button from the top. Aside from looking the part, Sebastian played the part. He was always available to talk when someone had something on their mind. He was also there to fill their glasses and charge them double. "What can I do for you tonight, Kate?" Sebastian asked as Kate strolled towards him.

"Nothing much yet." Kate replied. She eventually reached the bar and plopped herself down on one of the black stools. "I have a friend meeting me here soon. So we'll see what I need when he gets here."

Sebastian hummed, never taking his eyes off the glass that he was drying...wiping. Kate wasn't quite sure what he was doing with the glass. "That's cool that a friend is meeting you but make sure you guys are out by eleven." The owner/bartender eventually responded. Kate's face immediately fell.

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm closing early for a private party." Sebastian replied calmly as he set the glass he was drying/wiping down on the counter in favor of picking up another.

"How are Chelsea and Emily supposed to meet Kurt and I here after the Blaine Anderson show if Kurt and I aren't here?" Kate replied a bit frantically. If there was one thing the young drummer hated, it was a last minute change of plans. If plans were made with her then she perceived them to be set in stone, baring a catastrophe. This last minute change by Sebastian simply would not do.

Sebastian shrugged, completely unconcerned with the ins and outs of Kate's plans with her friends. "I don't know what to tell you. I _can_ tell you, however, that this place is empty because I've been telling people all week that I'm closing early for a private party and-"

Kate scoffed. "This place is empty because your beer is watered down and the service sucks." She muttered, earning an eye roll from the man before her.

"And that's why I don't care about your plans. Besides, why would I do you guys a favor? You're always mean to me and Chelsea never pays her tab. The only of you bitches I can stand is Emily and that's because she's wonderful."

Kate gasped dramatically, playing the role of offended drama queen up for the man. "Well I've never!" She shouted. "I'm not mean to you. If anything I'm very nice to you. And the only reason Chelsea doesn't pay for her drinks is because you told her that all of her drinks would be on the house when you were flirting with her." Kate shot back._ If he wants a fight, I'll give him one. _

"I wasn't talking to her!" Sebastian exploded, remembering the exact conversation Kate was referring to. "I was talking to the gorgeous blond with the baby blues and the DSLs right behind her. He had it going on!"

Kate snickered. "DSLs? Really? 'Had it going on' Really? Are you in the 90s again, Seb?"

"Really?" Sebastian shot back. "You're making fun of me? That's why you don't have a place to meet your friends!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Whatever! I'll just call Emily. She's practically your bestie and you can't say no to her." It was true. While Kate met Sebastian a few years before, Emily had met him during high school. They became quick friends and stayed friends when Emily decided to attend college in Chicago. When she returned to the city, Sebastian was there waiting for her just like Kate was waiting for Kurt.

"You wouldn't!"

"Watch me. Now, unless you'd like me to get her on the phone in the middle of a concert she's been waiting to see, I suggest you grab me a beer -you know what I like- and leave my friends and I to our meeting."

With a huff, Sebastian gave in. The last thing he needed was Emily calling about the matter. He knew she'd waited quite a while to see Blaine Anderson on tour and he couldn't be the reason she was pulled away from that. "Fine! But the private party starts here at eleven. It'll be in the other room. You bitches have to stay here, at the bar. No wandering off and no bothering them. These are actual _paying_ customers. Got it?"

Kate offered the bartender a solute. "Aye aye, El Capitan!" The response earned yet another eye roll from the bartender before he turned back to the cups he was wiping. He never did bring her beer.

* * *

Excitement was not a good enough word to describe the feeling that raced through Blaine's body as he watched the audience file in from his spot just behind the stage curtain. The space was filling quickly, much like Blaine's heart. So many people came out to see him that night, much to his amazement. Sure, Cooper told him twice that the show sold out but hearing it and seeing it were two different things.

"Blaine! Get the hell away from the curtain!" The musician jumped at the sound of Santana's voice. She and Dani, his bassist for the evening and the entirety of the tour, were stood hand and hand just behind him. Dani shook her head at her girlfriend's antics.

"Santana, you scared the crap out of me." Blaine sighed, placing a hand over his heart as if it was racing a million miles a minute. It wasn't, not actually. "Why are you yelling?"

Santana shrugged. "Because I wanted to scare the crap out of you obviously. And because my boo thang wanted to know if you approved of her outfit." Santana stepped aside so that Blaine could get a full visual of Dani's attire. Dressed in an all-black dress that flared at the waist and a black blazer with neon blue piping to match her hair, Dani was the picture of perfection.

"You look wonderful, Dani. As always." Blaine beamed as he leaned forward and kissed the girl lightly on her check. Santana rolled her eyes. Blaine could only imagine what she was saying about him in her head. 'Blaine Anderson, always the fucking charmer' seemed to be the most likely.

"You look great as well." Dani replied. Blaine looked down at himself. He did not feel as if he was fit to go on stage in the outfit he was wearing. The navy and cream striped Lacoste sweater he paired with his green ankle pants and navy oxfords felt like it wasn't good enough to perform in. The outfit felt like it was too much of who Blaine _actually_ was and not enough of the performer that he _wanted_ to be. _This is one of those times that I really miss Kurt. _

Kurt Hummel was the most fashionable person Blaine ever met. He was also Blaine's first love and the muse for Blaine's album. The entire recorded product was a collection of songs that Blaine wrote directly following their break up seven years prior. While time had healed Blaine's broken heart, there were still instances when Blaine missed his ex-boyfriend exponentially. Times of fashion crisis often sat somewhere near the top of that list of instances.

"Let's hope those guys think so." Blaine murmured as he turned back to peek through the curtain once again. While he watched more and more people crowd into the venue, Blaine felt a hand land firmly on his shoulder. When he turned to see who it was, he was surprised to see that it was Santana. "They're going to love it, B. They are going to love _you_."

Blaine beamed at his best friend. Her surprisingly kind words remained on his mind the entire evening.

* * *

Blaine's show ran smoothly for the most part. The audience was responsive and Blaine was able to hit all of his own expectations. And his expectations were high. Growing up in an environment that did not allow for mistakes aside from the occasional, unavoidable ones, Blaine was primed for perfection. If and when he did things, Blaine did them in the most efficient, most perfected way possible. He left little room for error in his repertoire. Unfortunately, errors were a natural part of life, whether Blaine accepted that fact or not.

All was going well, the audience was responding well to his music and they were tolerant of the few short interludes Blaine placed throughout the show. Every few songs, Blaine stopped to see how they were doing -which most of the audience found adorable- or to explain his thought process for whichever song he was singing next.

"As I told you guys at the beginning of the show," Blaine rasped into the microphone, slightly winded from performing, "quite a few of these songs were written during high school or just after. They were written about my first love, the moon to my stars. Back then, he meant the world to me. He was intoxicating, just like Moonshine." The audience cheered as Blaine introduced the next song. It was one of the faster songs on his album and Blaine had only hoped that his listeners would react as such. Hearing them do so caused the performer to stand up just a bit straighter and sing just a bit louder. Unfortunately, a pair of girls in the front row were determined to sing even louder than the musician on the stage.

_Hello, you know you look even better  
Than the way you did a night before  
And the moment that you kissed my lips  
You know I start to feel wonderful_  
_It's something incredible, there's sex in your chemicals oh_

The girls followed the song so well that Blaine could not take his attention off them. They swayed to the music, never missing a beat. They knew the song so well that Blaine had to continuously remind himself that he was the writer of the song, not the girls in the front row that were singing just a bit too loudly.

_Moonshine, take us to the stars tonight  
Take us to that special place,  
That place we went the last time  
The last time_

The singing grew louder as the audience began to join in. Blaine quickly found himself overwhelmed by the fact that almost everyone in the room knew the lines to a song that he wrote so long ago. It was everything to infinity and beyond all at once. It was the literal embodiment of everything he'd ever dreamed of and Blaine could barely contain himself as he threw himself more energetically into the song as he ran through the next verse and into the chorus once more. _This is my show of gratitude after all. The least I can do is give them a great show_.

_Moonshine, take us to the stars tonight  
Take us to that special place,  
That place we went the last time  
The last time_

The singing grew louder as Blaine hit the final bridge of the song.

_Don't look down no don't ever look back_

And then it happened. Just as quickly as Blaine's momentum soared, it came to a screeching halt. He'd spent so much of the song watching the audience sing and listening to them belt out his lyrics -_especially these girls in the front row. They are all into it._- that he let his guard down, stumbled over the melody, and forgot the lyrics to an entire line of the song. It was not as if he forgot a word or missed a note, no, Blaine forgot an entire line and the audience as a whole knew it. Or that's what Blaine told himself. He could not be sure because the audience continued to sing even when he did not, making it easy for him to pick up the song and finish hopefully unnoticed.

* * *

The rest of the show finished without a hitch. Blaine did not forget anymore lyrics and the audience seemed not to care that he'd messed up one of his own songs. When the young singer slash songwriter exited the stage later that evening it was to an intense round of applause, one Blaine felt was undeserved.

Cooper was the first to greet the performer upon his stage exit. The eldest Anderson son threw his arms around his little brother and hugged him close to his chest. "You did great, little brother. This tour has definitely started off on the right foot!" Cooper exclaimed as he squeezed his brother's tiny frame. Blaine frowned and tried to wiggle out of his brother's grasp.

"Let me go, Coop." The younger man grunted as he wiggled free. Blaine ran a soothing hand through his heavily gelled hair. "The show didn't go like I wanted it to. The tour didn't start out on the right foot." Blaine corrected, looking slightly perturbed that his brother had suggested otherwise.

Cooper gave his little brother an inquiring glance. "The show was perfect."

Blaine shook his head. He could not live a lie and saying the show was perfect was the biggest lie of the evening. "It wasn't." He stated simply. "I missed a line in one of the songs and I know that some of the people in the audience saw me lose my cool over it. I just went from the guy that wrote the hook that made Arrogant Overlord relevant again to unseasoned rookie who can't remember the lyrics to his own damn songs. I'm a joke."

Before Cooper could explain away years of his father's 'perfection or it's wrong' conditioning, the rest of the band began to file off stage with their instruments. Jake with pieces of his drum set. Dani with her bass. And Sam with his guitar. Each offered Blaine a congratulatory pat on the back as they strolled by. Blaine wished he could return each and every one of them until they were earned.

* * *

Seeing Kate after so many days and so much distance was surreal for Kurt. He recognized her the second his eyes landed on her but seeing her live and in color was like seeing someone he barely recognized. Kate was different, she'd grown since the last time she and Kurt were in the same room. Her hair was shorter and curled, a welcome change from the tangled mess it was when he left. _I definitely approve._

Some things were not different, however. Kate's legs still dangled as a child's would as she swiveled to and fro on her bar stool and she still refused to wear any shoes that did not remotely resemble a pair of beat up, old Converses. _I do not approve_. Regardless of how Kurt felt about her shoes, his Kate was still there waiting for him and he couldn't have been happier.

Quick work was made of crossing the bar, two giant, rolling suitcases thumping loudly behind him. Luckily for the exhausted traveler, Kate met him half way. She leapt from her stool and dashed across the oddly vacant bar, throwing herself at her friend. Kurt braced himself for impact, hoping she wouldn't jostle his guitar case too much. His baby, a Fender he received from his father on his eighteenth birthday, wasn't as versatile as he once assumed it to be.

"I'm so happy you're back!" Kate squeaked as she burrowed her face into Kurt's chest and tightened her arms around his tiny waist. Kurt's arms laced around the girl's shoulders and he held her close. He was happy to be back as well, happier than he imagined being. "I feel like I've been waiting forever for this." She continued when Kurt did not respond.

The two remained in their embrace until they were interrupted by the sounds of a throat clearing. When Kurt looked up to find the owner of the offending sound, he was greeted by the smug face of a man he'd never met. "As sweet as this is," the man said, "I need you two to make your way to the bar. Those were our terms Kate. I let you meet your little buddy here and you and your cretin stay at the bar."

"Excuse you!" Kurt all but shouted, too tired and too emotionally overwhelmed to accept the man's attitude laying down. "We were headed that way. There is no need to be rude." He snapped.

The bartender, from the looks of him, opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Kate. "We're heading that way, Seb. No need to worry." The young, blond assured. She then grabbed one of Kurt's bags and helped him wheel it to where her purse and drink were sat.

"Sorry about him." She whispered to Kurt once they were settled. "Sebastian has been having a rough month. I think it's because Emily is too busy to hang out and he's not getting any boy loving. He's been a grouch for weeks."

I know that feeling. Kurt remembered nearly biting the head off one of his father's shop managers during the driest part of his new found celibacy. "Well...I hope he gets some soon because his attitude was uncalled for." Kurt finished, choosing to ignore the fact that he knew exactly how the man behind the bar felt.

"You and me both." Kate mumbled. "You and me both."

* * *

Shortly after eleven that evening, Chelsea and Emily rushed into The Underside with smiles as wide as the ocean and eyes that lit up like stars on a clear night. They each hugged their friend in turn, gushing over how amazing he looked and listening as he returned the compliments with equal fervor.

It was only when the group was settled at the bar – they had nowhere else to be. The private party Sebastian told Emily about was starting in another, more private area of the establishment, meaning that the small band of best friends was confined to the bar and the restrooms without exception- that talk of the concert was brought up. Kurt did his best not to visibly shrink when the girls began to speak of his ex.

Chelsea, loud and brash in a way that could only be described as 'true New Englander' quickly took the reins of the conversation. "But, seriously, the show was amazing! Blaine, as usual, was perfection. He looked great, he sounded better, and he was amazing. I wouldn't have given up seeing him on his first tour show for anything. Literally, not for nothing. Not even you Kurt."

The lead singer rolled his eyes. He knew very well that Chelsea wouldn't give up a breakfast burrito for him and that was fine. Kurt, in turn, would not give up his last of anything for her. _Need the free cappuccino on my Panera card? Too bad, bitch! _It was the nature of the relationship and it worked for them.

"Girl, I commend you for giving up your ticket like you did." Chelsea continued as she nursed the drink in front of her. Sebastian vowed not to serve her another until she paid for the one she was holding, which meant that he was refusing to serve her another. He knew very well that she was not going to pay for her drink.

Kate shrugged as she chased her straw with her mouth. She caught it eventually and took a long, refreshing slurp. It hit all the right spots. "It's okay. It's not like anything out of the ordinary happened."

Before the sentence was completely out of the drummer's mouth, Emily was chiming in. "Yeah, except for when we, as in Chelsea and I, totally made Blaine mess up the words to his song. He stopped for like an entire line while we sang with the rest of the audience."

Kate and Kurt placed their drinks down in unison. They each knew that the idea of Blaine Anderson messing up a song lyric was almost blasphemous. While Kate was a huge fan that had seen a good number of Blaine's performances, Kurt knew firsthand what a misstep on stage could do to his ex. While Kurt may have still felt the tiniest bit of ill will towards his ex -_our breakup really messed me up_- he hated the thought of Blaine being as destroyed as he likely was over something as minimal as a missed lyric. If Kurt could remember the number of times he'd messed up on stage while drunk then..._well then I'd remember most of those performances actually. I really shouldn't drink on this tour_. Without hesitation, Kurt slid his drink away. Alcohol was no friend of his.

"You're shitting me." Kate gasped, still trying to work her mind around the idea. Emily shook her head. The bassist even went as far as to fish her phone out of her bag to show Kate the video. Kate watched it three times. Kurt watched it over her shoulder.

* * *

A gust of cool, October air raced past Blaine as he occupied one of man tables on The Underside's back deck. His table was the only table occupied because the party being held in his honor, at the bar that his friend shut down for him, was indoors. Blaine could not be indoors, however. His self-loathing was simply too big to be contained in a room of any size. So, he grabbed his phone and stepped out into the night.

The first few minutes of Blaine's time outside were filled with an elongated string of curse words and a call to his mother. He told her of the evenings events and she told him to calm down. She explained that not all things went according to plan and that life was too short to worry about the few lyrics that were missed. The words of the wise woman brought a smile to Blaine's face. He knew she was right. She was always right.

After the call ended, Blaine sat alone, staring at the sky. Through the city lights and high rise buildings he was able to see the outline of what looked like the moon. And just like that, Blaine Anderson was thinking about Kurt once again. He remembered the nights they used to lay in the bed of Blaine's old car – an El Camino he rebuilt with Cooper and painted cherry red- and stare up at the sky. Blaine always made a comment about how the moon never shined as brightly as Kurt's smile and Kurt always blushed and told Blaine that he was silly.

A slow smile crossed Blaine's face as he thought about their times together all those years ago. Back then, things were simple. The most complicated thing in his life was whether or not to have a third cup of coffee before school. After his parent's divorce, Blaine no longer had to deal with the burden that was his father on a regular basis. He barely noticed that anything had changed in the house, other than the overall mood. Up until that point, Blaine's life was fairly simple – free of trivial complications such as broken trust and looming divorce proceedings. Now, as an adult, Blaine stared up at the moon and envied his former self. Once upon a time he had someone to share moments like this with. Now, after years of circumstances, Blaine was left to look up at the moon all by himself.

* * *

Kurt zoned in and out as Kate and the girls watched the video of Blaine Anderson's Epic Fumble -as it was being called online- played on the screen of Emily's phone once again. Kurt wanted to tell them to stop; wanted to tell them not to make such a big deal of it because he knew what something like that would do to Blaine if word somehow, _miraculously_ got back to him. And just like that, Kurt was frustrated once again. He couldn't figure out why his mind kept wandering to Blaine but it did and it was frustrating. _If I wanted to think about an ex I would rather think about one that didn't cheat on me. Like...Chand- no we never dated. Dav- no I never dated him either. Ada-Nope...we had great sex though_. Truth be told, Kurt hadn't seriously dated anyone since his breakup with Blaine seven years prior. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "Whoa!" He mused as he reached for the drink he'd sat down earlier. The ice was melted and condensation was racing down the glass and pooling around it on the coaster. Kurt cared about neither. Instead, the cup was placed at his lips long enough to drain the contents and placed back down onto its coaster.

Kate, Emily, and Chelsea watched him with inquiring eyes. "You okay over there?" Chelsea asked, eying her friend skeptically. Kurt turned to her with wide, faux innocent eyes and nodded.

"Totally fine." He squeaked.

"Umm...whatever." Chelsea replied hesitantly before turning her attention back to the YouTube video she'd put up of Blaine's stage mistake. It already had a few thousand views and that number was climbing with every passing second.

"I think I need some fresh air." Kurt's statement was met with a simple wave of Emily's hand. The girls were too enthralled with the video to pay him much mind.

* * *

Sneaking past Sebastian and the lively party that was taking place in a private section of the bar was easier than Kurt expected. Taking the few steps out of the establishment and onto the bar's tiny patio was far more difficult than Kurt imagined.

Down the hall, around the corner, and past the double doors with the sign that read 'Private Party. Do Not Disturb' was a single door, painted red, that lead to the outside world. Kurt made his way quickly to that door.

He pushed it open quickly, needing to breathe some of the crisp air that eluded his senses. He needed to feel it race through his body and be dissolved into his blood stream. He wanted to feel it in his heart, in much the same way he used to feel love in his heart.

The realization that he hadn't participated in a meaningful relationship since he dated Blaine shook Kurt to his core. He knew he'd slept around a bit -_obviously_- but he never stopped to realize that he hadn't given himself completely to someone since his days in high school. _How could I have gone so long without experiencing love like I did before?_

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had many plans for the upcoming tour but one quite literally shot to the top of his list. If there was anything Kurt was going to experience while on tour, it was going to be love. He was going to find a way to experience love once again. It eluded him like a woman of the night for far too long and Kurt was tired of living a life of loneliness. He wanted love and swore to himself that he would find it -or something that resembled it- on tour.

When Kurt opened his eyes to look out into the October night, he was greeted by the same pair of hazel eyes that grabbed his heart and ran with it so many years ago. He opened his mouth to speak, to find out if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he was cut off by the voice of a man that Kurt thought he'd never hear intimately again. It was the same voice that serenaded Kurt in front of the entire McKinley High School student body all those years ago that wafted through the air and straight into Kurt's heart. "Kurt Hummel? Is that you?" The voice asked, genuinely curious. And just like that, Kurt knew that his journey was over before it started.

* * *

**A/N: Moonshine – Bruno Mars**

**Strange ending spot? I know! It had to end there though because the next chapter is where things really pick up. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, alerted, whatever this store. I appreciate you giving the rewrite a chance.**

**Don't forget to review this chapter. And if you do forget...well remember and then do it dammit! I hope to have the next chapter up within the week.**

**Check the Tumblr tag ****KADDTTMAB throughout the week for the outfits of Kate, Kurt, Emily, and Chelsea from this chapter. **

**Millions of thanks to my BB Windsor for all her damn assistance with this!**

**Thanks for your support.**


	3. Chapter 3 Part 1

_Eight Years Prior…._

"Alright, bud, here we are." Kurt sucked his lower lip into his mouth and rolled it as he looked out the front passenger window of his father's truck. _Here we are, indeed._ "Now, you know my number if you need me. I filled out all those school forms and stuff at open house last week. Just give them to your homeroom teacher and she'll send them to the office."

Kurt tore his eyes away from the school building in front of him to shoot his father a look. "I know!" Kurt groaned dramatically. "I'm going to _high school_, not _kindergarten._ I think I can handle turning in a few papers." _I think_. Truth be told, starting high school was probably the most nerve wrecking experience of Kurt Hummel's life thus far. There was a great possibility that, due to the state of his nerves, Kurt _would_ forget to turn in his papers. He would not let his father know that, however. On the outside, Kurt did his best to stay calm, cool, and collected.

Burt shot his son a warm smile. "I know, kiddo. I just wanted to help. I guess you're not a baby anymore and I have to let you do these things yourself. I mean….unless you don't want to." Burt quickly added. "If you want me to walk you inside I can do that. It's not a big deal. I'll make sure you get to your home room and eve-"

The concerned father was cut off by the sound of the passenger door slamming. Burt had no idea when it had opened and when Kurt had climbed out. All he knew was that his little boy was now standing outside of the car, scowling at him in a way that only Kurt could. "I'm fine! Really! I think I'll be perfectly fine if you don't do any of that stuff." Kurt huffed, his cheeks turning a bright red out of pure frustration.

Burt shrugged from the driver's seat. "Well alright then. Don't forget to ride the bus home and make new friends."

"If I forget to ride the bus home then I'll be stuck at school." Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes at the obvious outcome. "And we'll see about the friend's thing." The freshman mumbled, just low enough that his father didn't hear him. Burt smiled and nodded, ecstatic that his son was moving forward with his best foot. Or at least Burt hoped his son was. Kurt was not one for rolling his eyes if all was not well.

"That's the ticket, son. I'm working late tonight but I'll see you when I get home. I'll bring you one of those weird bowls you like...with all the rabbit food and stuff in them."

Again, Burt saw his son's eyes roll. "They're called salads, Dad! And just because they aren't fried doesn't make them weird!"

"Yeah okay, kid. Anyways, I'LL get you one on the way home. Ya know, to celebrate your first day of high school."

"Thanks." Kurt all but whispered. More than anything, he was ready for the conversation to be finished. It would be a shame to be late for class on his first day of high school. "Love you."

"Love you more, kiddo."

Kurt stepped back from his father's truck and watched as it pulled away from the curb. He wished it had stayed. While he put up a believable front for his father, Kurt was a bundle of raw nerves, waiting to be ignited. Which was likely to happen at any moment. I_t's my first day of high school after all. _

* * *

Like many of his fellow first timers, Kurt learned the rules of high school very quickly. He learned when to speak, when not to speak, who to speak with, and who to avoid. He also learned the social hierarchy fairly quickly. Unless he was one of the few, established freshmen athletes, all first timers -as they were called by the masses- took residence beneath the bottom rung of the social ladder. Just above them were sophomores and juniors that were not specified as athletic, the glee club, someone named Jacob Ben Israel, and a group called Too Young to be Bitter, though Kurt wasn't sure that they were about. Then there were the nerds, slightly more popular than Kurt would have expected but that was due to the fact that they were able to assist with academic related issues of the high rungs, the unspecified seniors, and the bad asses. Then, at the top of the ladder were the athletes: cheerleaders, football players, hockey players, and beyond. The ladder was simple and accepted. It was adhered to by most without deviation.

There were those that did deviate from it, however. They deviated from the caste they were assigned to and became the exception to the rule. Like the ladder system, the first timers learned of these infamous individuals as well. At the top of this list sat Blaine Anderson, a junior that happened to be a mathlete and a member of glee club. He was truly an inspiration to those beneath him. He'd climbed the ladder of success straight to the popular seniors table. It was likely because of his friendship with fellow junior, co-cheerleading captain, Santana Lopez. Wherever she went, Blaine went, and vice versa.

All of Kurt's new classmates knew of Blaine Anderson and his amazing ascent to the peaks of popularity by lunch time. Most hadn't seen him yet, however. By the time the first lunch bell rang -Kurt thanked his lucky stars that he had first lunch rather than second lunch. Apparently, having second lunch was the McKinley equivalent to walking slowly towards a slow, agonizing death.- Blaine Anderson hadn't made his formal introduction to the lower classmen.

Kurt trudged slowly towards the cafeteria, making no real effort to get there. Having brought a grand total of zero friends from middle school and having made no new friends that morning, the freshman had no one to sit with during lunch. So, the young man made no effort to reach the lunch room quickly, unlike his peers. The students of McKinley lucky enough to have a first lunch raced past Kurt in an attempt to get to the cafeteria. They were running towards the lunch lines as if the lines were going to disappear. _Neanderthals_. Kurt thought as he strolled along. Their food was not going anywhere, so Kurt saw no need to rush.

The cafeteria was jam packed and extremely noisy. Kurt found himself covering his ears on more than one occasion as he navigated the sea of students without a tray to match the ones that the other students carried. While his father had been extremely concerned with getting Kurt's school forms signed and returned, both he and his son forgot that Kurt needed lunch money. Without money to eat with, Kurt was left to suffer the lunch period alone and hungry.

With no real reason to occupy space in the already crowded cafeteria, Kurt began walking towards the double doors that led to the court yard. He knew from the tour his eighth grade class took the year prior that many of the students that did not eat lunch, for whatever reason, sat outside in the courtyard, rather than in the building. Thanks to the collective forgetfulness of both himself and his father, Kurt would be joining those masses that day.

The early afternoon warmth caught Kurt's attention as he stepped out of the school and into the cement courtyard. It felt unseasonably hot for an Ohio day in September. Kurt stared up at the sky, momentarily perplexed by the temperature. He'd watched the weather that morning and the high for that day was supposed to be 76. _It feels more like 86._ Kurt thought as he walked blindly into the courtyard.

Not paying attention did Kurt Hummel a bit of good that day. Because his eyes were on the sky and not on his path, Kurt Hummel ran directly into someone, knocking them directly to the ground. Kurt gasped and scrambled to help the young man to his feet. "I am so sorry!" Kurt immediately apologized. He was extremely embarrassed and disappointed with himself. _Freaking idiot! I just knocked someone over. He is probably going to beat me up now. _

The boy waved Kurt off as he made his way to his feet. He brushed off his clothes before turning his attention to Kurt and smiling. Kurt could have lived in that smile. It was bright and toothy and exactly what Kurt needed. "It's nothing." The young man replied in a voice that sounded of purple, crushed velvet and Reddi Wip. "I can't tell you how many times I've gotten distracted by like….a bird….or a plane….or a tree….or a song that's stuck in my head and just run right into someone. It happens." The young man added.

Kurt nodded eagerly. "It does happen but that doesn't mean that I'm not sorry. Because I am." He added hastily. The young man before him flashed another smile, one that made Kurt's knees a bit weak. But not too weak to capitalize on an opportunity. _Dad told me to make friends, right?_ "I...um….I'm new here. Well...today is my first day here and….I don't have and friends and….well...it's not that I couldn't have friends. I could have friends but I'm just a freshman and I don't really know people yet and-" Kurt was cut off by the sound of someone chuckling. He was extremely disheartened when he realized that it was the young man he was speaking with. Kurt's jaw snapped shut instantly.

The boy's chuckles died down eventually. He seemed to notice the change in Kurt's demeanor. He saw the walls start to go up. "I'm sorry." The young man said, seemingly disappointed with himself. "It's just….you're adorable when you ramble and I would love to have lunch with you. My friends are all in second lunch so...it's just me and I could use some company."

The smile on Kurt's face returned in full force. "Great. Ummm...neither of us is eating so maybe we could sit over here?" Kurt pointed to a shaded table in the far corner of the courtyard, just below a small tree. The young man nodded and motion for Kurt to lead the way. "Oh...and I'm Kurt by the way. Kurt Hummel." Kurt said as he zig zagged through tables to get to the one he and the young man decided upon.

"It's nice to meet you, Kurt Hummel." The young man replied. "I'm Blaine Anderson."

* * *

Once the initial shock of having lunch with the Blaine Anderson wore off, Kurt and Blaine spent a majority of the lunch period learning that they had quite a bit in common. They loved Vogue, they enjoyed watching historical dramas, and they each loved music. That seemed to be the biggest similarity of all, the one that brought them together.

"So, you sing in the glee club." Kurt said in an attempt to make conversation. There was an awkward pause after their conversation concerning a possible Freddie Mercury biopic was complete.

Blaine shot him yet another earth shattering grin. _If he doesn't stop doing that I am going to melt into goo._ "Yep. I have since my freshman year. Why? Do you sing? I know you said you play guitar -which is freakin' awesome- but do you sing too? If so, you have to audition. It's a must!"

Kurt did his best not to burrow into himself as he often did when he was nervous. His shoulders would curl forward, his head would fall into his chest, and he would do what he could to burrow into a tiny ball. It was something he learned as a child and never quite grew out of. It was not that he minded Blaine asking him about singing, it was the fact that Kurt hated the topic of him singing. Playing the guitar was easy. His mother put one into his hands when he was six and Kurt never looked back. Singing was another story entirely. Singing meant being front and center, something Kurt was never quite comfortable with. "I….don't." Kurt lied. He did. He sang quite well actually. Unfortunately for him, Blaine did not buy his fib.

The junior pulled a face, letting Kurt know that he'd been caught in a lie. Again, Kurt shrank a bit. He felt like he'd just lied to royalty. _Off with my head!_ "I'm sorry it's just…." Kurt stumbled.

Blaine immediately waved him off. "It's nothing, Kurt. We've only just met. You don't have to share the finer details of your life with me. That's what tomorrow if for, right?"

Kurt nodded eagerly. "Tomorrow. Yes. Absolutely. Tomorrow is for….telling more things."

"Indeed it is." Blaine chuckled as he began to stand. Kurt's face instantly fell. "For now, I have to go. My class is all the way on A Hall. If I don't leave now I will be late. Tomorrow?" Blaine asked, a warm smile on his face.

Kurt nodded, despite the disappointment he felt over the fact that Blaine was leaving. "Tomorrow." He confirmed, forcing a smile. Truthfully speaking, he didn't believe tomorrow would come. It was more likely that Blaine would stand him up than anything. _It would be the story of my life. _

Tomorrow did come, however. And the next day. And the next day. Much to Kurt's surprise -and the surprise of the entire student body- he and Blaine sat together every day for the first week of school. Kurt couldn't have been happier and, unbeknownst to him, neither could Blaine.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Blaine felt like he could breathe around someone. He felt like he could talk openly with someone without worry that whatever he said would be taken straight back to his cool, popular friends. It wasn't that Blaine didn't like his friends, it was that the expectations of him felt ridiculous at times. Sometimes he felt like he was living under his father's overbearing thumb once again and he hated it. Blaine hated feeling like he would never live up to the expectations others had for him.

With Kurt things were different. Kurt was new, fresh, and completely willing to sit and listen when Blaine talked. _Not in a creepy way though. _Unlike some people in the school that gawked a bit when Blaine spoke, completely enamored that he was even speaking to them, Kurt spoke back. The freshmen held a conversation with the junior without hesitation. And it was intelligent conversation. Blaine couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed something as wonderful as intelligent conversation. _It also doesn't hurt that he's adorable. _

By the end of the first week of school, the entire student body knew of Blaine's lunch rendezvous with 'that freshman boy with the weird clothes and the girl voice'. Blaine cringed each time he heard the description. He knew from firsthand experience - _Kurt told me _- that Kurt hated being described by his form of dress or the softness of his voice. He said it made him feel ostracized, a word that Blaine was surprised to hear from the mouth of a fifteen -_going on sixteen_- year old's mouth. Then again, Kurt was light years ahead of the rest. His maturity level, and vocabulary, far exceeded that of a majority of the students at McKinley High. He was amazing in all of the ways that made Blaine take notice, even when no one else would.

By the end of the first month of school, Blaine's lunches with Kurt were something that he looked forward to with the bright-eyed excitement of a kid on Christmas morning. The fact that lunch with Kurt made him feel that way made Blaine's stomach tilt slightly. He had never had a boyfriend and it was a bit unnerving to know that his first prospect was a boy that had also never had a boyfriend. _In my mind, my first boyfriend was going to be worldly and experienced so that he could teach me things_. Neil Patrick Harris seemed to be the only logical option back when a more mature, more experienced boyfriend was in the cards for Blaine Anderson. Now that such a possibility seemed not to be a possibility at all -_that's a shame because NPH and I would have looked amazing together_- Blaine found himself taking second and third looks at Kurt.

Unlike the few other gay men Blaine knew, he did not find Kurt attractive by default. Before, when Blaine was younger and far more immature, he assumed he was meant to find every gay man he met to be attractive. And for a while he did. It was raining men in Blaine Anderson's world and he was stuck outside without a raincoat.

As time passed however, Blaine realized that not every man was built for the lusting after. Some men wanted only one thing and Blaine was not willing to provide that one thing. Those men lost interest quickly. Kurt, however, did not. Kurt seemed more interested in Blaine's conversation than anything else and Blaine was grateful for such.

Blaine was also grateful for the fact that Kurt did not let Blaine's popularity steer their friendship. Unlike a majority of the people at his school that did not know him first hand, Kurt never used Blaine's status as a maneuvering chip in their friendship. Blaine watched as Kurt gracefully tip toed around it and continued forward, barely acknowledging. Blaine was _definitely_ grateful for that.

* * *

By Christmas break of Blaine's junior year, he was completely smitten. Kurt was absolutely amazing and Blaine would have been crazy not to fall head first for him. _Even if it took me a while._

Over the past few months, the two young men spent more and more time together. Blaine eventually talked Kurt into attending a glee club meeting with him, though Kurt refused to sing, and Kurt asked Blaine over to watch a movie one evening while his father was working late at his new shop. Blaine quickly obliged, hoping to spend as much time as possible with the freshman. A one night event turned into a once a week occurrence, one that Blaine's friends were not too pleased with.

"I never see you anymore!" Santana groaned as she rolled onto her stomach on Blaine's bed. She was watching him get ready to leave for Kurt's house, as he did every Thursday evening. For whatever reason Kurt couldn't hang out on Friday nights like normal teenagers did. Not that Santana was complaining. It gave her and her best friend time together, which they were seriously lacking. "You're either running off to spend time with your little….butt buddy…." Santana stopped long enough to see Blaine glare at her through the mirror. She knew that Blaine hated it when she spoke ill of Kurt. "...or you're doing glee stuff. When is your Tana time? When does Snixx get a slot on your agenda?"

"We're spending time together right now." Blaine stated as he straightened his bowtie. He saw his friend's eyes roll in the mirror. "What? We are!"

"Yeah, but you're getting ready to go get some. That's me being here for moral support. I'm just around to make sure you have condoms and stuff….like any good friend. It most certainly does not count as quality time."

"I'm not going to 'get some'. I'm going to spend some time with Kurt. I haven't seen him since before Christmas. It's been a while."

Again, Santana rolled her eyes. "It's December 28th and you saw him less than a week ago. You make it sound like he's been deployed for a year and you're just getting him back. Not the case…..like at all. You haven't seen him since the 24th and that only happened because you made up some lie about needing to see all of your friends in person to give them their Christmas gifts. Bitch, I didn't get a damn gift! Tina didn't get a gift. But Kurt got a gift! You better be getting something in return. No romance without finance and no finance without frotting!"

Blaine turned a deep shade of crimson and adverted his eyes from where they were locked in a stare with the reflection of hers. He'd thought about sex, had been for years, but never with Kurt and never in the ways Santana was describing. It was always slow lovemaking with a muscular, faceless man. Though Blaine was not opposed to that man being Kurt one day. _It's just...w__e haven't even gone on a date yet and it's hard for me to imagine him like that when we haven't even been romantic. _

"Whatever Santana." Blaine eventually responded, still too embarrassed to acknowledge the fact that Santana's statement put another entire world of fantastical thoughts in Blaine's head. He was never going to be able to look Kurt in the face again without thinking of Santana's words.

And, to an extent, Santana had a right to broach the topic. Blaine _hadn't_ purchased Santana a gift, though they'd been friends since freshman year. He also hadn't purchased Tina a gift, though she was his go to duet partner. The only person that received a gift, other than Cooper and his mother, was Kurt. And it was just a six pack of rainbow guitar picks that Blaine saw hanging behind the counter at Between The Sheets when he went to pick up sheet music. "It's not like I bought him a freaking engagement ring."

"Not yet." Santana mumbled as she rolled herself off her best friend's bed. He was boring her to tears with his talk of freshman love and there was a college honey blowing up her phone, looking for a bit of attention. The decision to leave was not a difficult one. "Call me tomorrow when your buddy is locked in his castle. You can take me to the movies." She said as she slid past him towards the door. "And I don't mean a matinee."

Blaine watched his best friend leave. She was truly a piece of work. She had a 'take no prisoners' attitude and a heart bigger than he let anyone believe. Santana wasn't all hell fire and brimstone, she was kind hearted in ways that few other than Blaine ever witnessed. That was why he loved her so much.

"Doesn't mean she's not a pain in my ass though." Blaine grumbled to himself as he tried, once again, to fix his bowtie. Apparently, the third time was the charm because it took him three tries to get it right. He hoped that would not be an indicator of the night ahead.

* * *

Kurt fussed around the house, doing his best to get ready for Blaine's arrival. Most nights they sat on the couch in the den watching whatever movie Kurt had spent hours researching in hopes of impressing the junior. The week before they watched _Wolverine_, much to Blaine's excitement. Before that they watched _Moulin Rouge_, much to Kurt's excitement. This week they were watching _Pulp Fiction_. Kurt put it in his Netflix queue when Blaine told him that he'd never seen it. He then began fussing with the house. The moment he realized that his father's car magazines were scattered around the living room, Kurt decided that his Thursday night rendezvous with one of the most popular boys in school was best held in another part of the house. His bedroom seemed like a prime location.

Racing down the stairs into his basement bedroom, Kurt began tidying what he could. It was not as if his room was a mess. Kurt's room was painfully clean, in fact. _I'm far less messy than most boys my age._ It was a fact that both he and his father had learned to accept over the years.

Without much to clean, Kurt began setting the mood in his room. He wanted it to be warm but not romantic. Though his own feelings for Blaine had grown tenfold since their initial meeting, Kurt was never sure how Blaine truly felt about him. Blaine dragged him to glee rehearsals often but Kurt was never sure if that was because they found a spider in the ear of the boy that usually played backup for while the club sang or if Blaine actually wanted him there. Either way, Kurt found himself spending more and more time playing his guitar in the choir room. Then, after practice, Blaine drove him home. Not once did the junior indicate that they were more than friends.

The two continued to have lunch together under the watchful eye of the entire first lunch period. Each day the freshman and his junior friend met in the courtyard to share the lunch that Kurt brought and to discuss what was going on in their lives. Occasionally Blaine took Kurt off campus for lunch. On those days Blaine insisted on letting Kurt pick the restaurant but never let Kurt pay. It felt like a date each time._ Well...I think. I've never been on a date before so I'm not sure a date actually feels like. _

Then the movie nights started. One Thursday Kurt was lonely and decided to call Blaine. His father was working in the new shop he was setting up and Kurt couldn't imagine spending the entire evening alone. He still hadn't made many new friends, so Blaine seemed like a viable option. Blaine wasted no time making his way to Kurt's house. That night they watched _Finding Nemo_. The tradition continued from there.

A month and a half later, just after Christmas, Kurt was ready to take that tradition a bit further, though he didn't know to where. He wanted more with Blaine but he wasn't sure what. What he did know, however, was that they were going to watch the movie from his room. No ifs, ands, or buts….unless Blaine had one of those of course.

* * *

Blaine had no objections with the change of venue. He was immediately enthralled by Kurt's room. He loved the theater posters that lined the walls and the little trinkets that lined the shelves. "What's this? Is this a jewelry box?" Blaine asked as he ran his fingers over the object that was so obviously a jewelry box.

"Yes. It was my mother's." Kurt replied as he set up his television. He'd pulled a blanket from the upstairs linen closet and laid it across the floor. He then tossed the pillows from his bed down onto it and sat a bowl of popcorn in the middle. He hoped Blaine didn't have a light stomach or the popcorn was going to be a bad idea.

Once the viewing area was completely set up, Kurt called Blaine over. The two settled themselves, Blaine lying on his stomach with his arms wrapped around the pillows that his chin rested on, and Kurt propped with pillows against his desk. "Are we ready?" Kurt asked as he pulled up Netflix on the unused PS3 he'd grabbed from the den. Blaine nodded as Kurt maneuvered into the Netflix app on the device and pulled up the movie.

The pair watched the movie in relative silence. The only sounds heard were the sounds from the television, the sound of one of them reaching into the popcorn bowl, and the sound of Blaine gasping when something he hadn't expected happened. Despite the silence, Kurt was enjoying himself and the time he was getting to spend with Blaine.

Just as Vincent and Mia Wallace were entering Jack Rabbit Slim's Blaine turned to Kurt. "This movie is kind of confusing." He stated simply. Kurt hummed and nodded.

"It can be. There is so much going on and Tarantino paid so much attention to dialogue that it can seem dry if you're not truly interested in it. I love it though. And it's not too confusing if you're paying attention. Now _Donnie Darko_, that movie is confusing."

Despite the darkness that blanketed the room, save for the soft glow from Kurt's television, Kurt could see an easy smile creep across Blaine's face. "We'll have to add that to our list." He suggested, much to Kurt's delight.

"Sounds good." Kurt replied. The two turned their attention back to the movie, both working just a bit too hard to seem like they were paying attention to the movie.

Kurt found it exceptionally difficult to concentrate as Mia and Vincent participated in the dance contest. Blaine was so close and Kurt was certain that his heart was going to beat straight out of his chest. Blaine must have felt the same way because he turned his attention from the television at the exact same moment that the thought was running through Kurt's mind. "Are you comfortable back there?" He asked, his voice a bit higher than normal. "Because I don't have a problem if you lay down here with me. Ya know….as long as you don't have a problem with it."

Kurt sucked his lower lip into his mouth as he often did when he was worried or nervous. Then, in a fit of what he could only describe later as insanity, Kurt pulled the pillows from behind his back, tossed them down to where Blaine was lying, and made his way to lay down next to his older friend. Blaine scooted closer to Kurt's bed, giving the freshman ample room. "Better? I'm sure you couldn't have been comfortable back there."

"I wasn't." Kurt whispered in response. Side by side, the duo continued to watch up until after Mia Wallace's overdose.

"Is she going to die?" Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear. The freshman shivered next to him. Blaine's lips that close to his ear was the closest Kurt had ever been to another boy's lips. "I really like her character and I hope she's not going to die."

"No." Kurt eventually whispered back. "They're going to give her an adrenaline shot to the heart. She'll be fine."

Blaine gasped next to him. "Are you serious?" He asked, his voice taking its normal volume momentarily. "Are they really going to do that?" Kurt nodded. "That's awesome."

"Awesome indeed."

"Ya know, I'd do that for you. If you needed an adrenaline shot to the heart, I'd give you one. No questions asked." Blaine continued, his eyes never leaving the screen. Kurt's eyes did, however. They traveled from the screen and straight to the side of his friend's head.

"Why would I need that? I'm pretty sure that's not safe…..like at all."

"It has to be...wait….see look...she just shot right back up. It'd be cool. Like if you were having an allergic reaction I could just do that. I'd save your life and you wouldn't even have to thank me." Blaine rambled.

"Yeah...no. I'm pretty sure an actual adrenaline shot to the heart could be pretty damaging. I'd prefer you try to save me in other ways." That caught Blaine's attention. As quickly as it could, Blaine's head turned so that he was face to face with his friend. "Like….if I was choking I'd want you to give me the Heimlich Maneuver or if I left my wallet at home I'd want you to pay for my hot chocolate."

Blaine grinned at him, ready to see where he could take the conversation. "What if you were starving?" He asked.

"Well then you'd have to give me all your food." Kurt promptly replied.

"And what if you forgot your homework at home?"

"Then you'd have to meet me in the library and help me do it really quickly."

"What if you were stranded?"

"Then you'd have to come get me."

"What if you couldn't breathe?"

Kurt paused for a moment, considering his answer. "Then you'd have to give me mouth to mouth." The second the words fell from his lips, Kurt flushed. He had _and_ hadn't meant to say them. Part of him wanted to test the waters while the rest of him wanted to stay safely in the shallow end. _After all, there is still a very high possibility that he doesn't like me like that._ Or so Kurt thought.

"Can you breathe now?" Blaine asked, his voice huskier than it had been moments before.

Kurt felt his heartbeat double and his hands began to sweat. This was it. He had to pick a path at the fork in the road. _But which one?_ Kurt was momentarily too lost to reply. When his mind had fully evaluated what Blaine said, Kurt gave an answer that he hadn't expected. "No." He whispered.

"So should I give you mouth to mouth?" Blaine asked, inching his face closer to Kurt's.

"Yes."

Before Kurt could comprehend what was happening, Blaine was leaning in and gently pressing their lips together. For the first time, Kurt truly understood what people meant when they said they saw fireworks while kissing. It seemed like a thousand flashes of light were exploding behind Kurt's closed eyelids.

What felt like an eternity of having Blaine's soft lips on his own only turned out to be a matter of a few seconds. Just as quickly a Blaine leaned in he was pulling away, much to Kurt's dismay. Kurt took the moment immediately following his first kiss to catch his breathe.

"Can you breathe now?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded. He could. "Good. I'd like you to be able to speak when I ask you out on a date and you can't speak if you can't breathe." Blaine explained.

Kurt's breath caught. "A date?" He asked, the words sounding too foreign to be true.

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. I mean...I had hoped. You're pretty amazing and I'd really like to...I don't know. Just take you out, I guess. So...will you go out with me?"

Kurt grinned wide and excitedly. "Yes. I will most definitely go out on a date with you."

Unbeknownst to both boys that night on the floor in Kurt's bedroom was the first night of a very long, very intense love affair that eventually spanned decades.

* * *

**A/N: There it is. This is a two part chapter. Part 2 will be up as soon as I have a free chance to write.**

**For those that are confused or a bit frustrated, please remember that this is not an exact rewrite of the other store. There will be parts that I take from that story and put into this one but that is it. **

**Million thanks to Windsor -the beta and my bad bitch- and Belle for letting me bounce ideas. **

**See you guys soon (hopefully). **

**Don't hesitate to review. Not going to lie, getting reviews fuels my fire to update quickly. It's like I feel obligated not to make you wait so long. **


	4. Chapter 3 Part 2

Kurt and Blaine's first successful date, late on the Thursday night before school was set to begin after Christmas break, lead to a second successful date the following Thursday. That second successful date led to a third, which led to a fourth, which led to a fifth. Almost two months after Blaine worked up the courage to ask Kurt out for dinner, the young duo was holding strong and the entire school knew it.

"_Did you hear that Blaine Anderson is dating some freshman boy?" _

"_Did you know that Blaine Anderson likes younger men?" _

"_What does he have that I don't have?" _

"_A penis." _

"_Is Blaine really dating that boy? I hear they go to Breadsticks every Thursday. Sounds like they're dating to me!" _

"That's right they're dating but they're not a couple so stop acting like the two words are interchangeable!" Santana barked as she walked past the group of sophomore girls that had nothing better to do than to discuss the love life -or lack thereof- of her best friend. Truth be told, Santana was a bit irritated with Blaine. While she was climbing the social ladder to secure their spots at the top, Blaine was joining academic clubs and prancing around with the glee kids. In the end, however, that was fine. Santana could handle Blaine's tendency to lean in favor of all things uncool. She could work with that. She could not, however, work with Blaine's sudden need to befriend and subsequently _date _a freshman nobody. _No me gusta_.

The girls shrank back under the cold glare that Santana shot in their direction as she strutted down the hallway, lesser cheerleaders trailing behind her like a flowing gown of red and white uniforms. They were on a mission, one that had to be carried out that day. It was Thursday again and Santana needed to speak with Kurt before he went on yet another date with Blaine.

Santana found Blaine's freshman -as she'd taken to calling him- huddled with his face in his locker and his ridiculous clothes on display for the world to see. Santana resisted the urge to sigh and roll her eyes. _Really, what does Blaine see in the kid?_ He was just another blow to their image, an image that could crumble at any given moment. That was what Blaine never seemed to realize. With the flick of a wrist, a swish of a hip, and one bad decision Santana and Blaine could be on Kurt's level. Neither wanted that, though Blaine refused to admit it. He liked to pretend that status didn't matter to him but Santana knew better. She was there when Blaine was at the bottom of the barrel, she knew how much he hated it. _He can't lie to me_.

With the understanding of what Blaine truly wanted, despite his insistence that he didn't care, Santana worked to make sure that natural order would remain intact while Blaine ran around doing as he pleased. That was how she found herself seeking out freshman nobody Kurt Hummel that afternoon just before last period was set to begin.

Santana approached the freshman like a tornado racing through a residential neighborhood. There was little, if any, notice. "Hi freshman." The Cheerio quipped as she crowded Kurt's space. Her lesser cheerleading minions did the same, creating a tiny ring that Kurt was not able to escape. "We need to talk." The junior advised, taking the freshman boy by surprise.

"Ummm...okay?" Kurt responded, a look of confusion on his face. "I'm headed to A Hall now but after sch-"

"No." Santana cut in. "I don't have time or patience to hunt you down after school so we're doing this now. I also don't have the internal drive to want to find you later so you'll follow me now and we'll get this thing taken care of. 'Kay!"

Kurt nodded instantly. There was no room for argument. The cheerleader smiled at him, pleased with his submission, before leading the freshman and her minions off of F Hall, in the opposite direction of Kurt's next class, and out of the school building. She led them all the way to the bleachers on the practice football field before dismissing her tag alongs.

Once everyone was gone, leaving the two alone, Santana turned her full attention to Kurt. He flinched violently when her eyes were upon him. "Do you know why I summoned you?" Santana asked, knowing that Kurt would likely know the answer.

"Blaine?" Kurt questioned hesitantly. His voice was barely a whisper when he spoke. Had Kurt actually been somebody, Santana would have taken pleasure in the fact that she could force him into a near silence. Unfortunately, he wasn't so Santana took only the slightest interest in the fact that his voice was barely a quiver.

The cheerleader nodded. "Yep! Blaine. I'm here because Blaine is my best friend in the entire world and I will literally end you if you ever hurt him. I know he's taken some sort of weird, charitable liking to you so I figured I would warn you. I do not care if whatever happens is one hundred percent Blaine's fault. If you hurt him, if he even looks like you might have hurt his imaginary puppy, I will end you. So think wisely when you guys are out. Think twice before forgetting to compliment his shoes or his ridiculous habit of bursting into song. Blaine is a good guy and he deserves someone that will do those things for him. Got it?"

"I think so. Can I ask a question though?" Kurt squeaked, much to Santana's dismay.

"What?" The girl barked.

"How can I think twice before forgetting to do something? If I've thought twice about it then I can't very well forget."

Santana scowled at the freshman. He was already on her nerves. "Don't play with me, Hummel! You know what I meant. If you hurt him I will end you. That is all there is to it!" Without another word Santana stood from her seat and sashayed away, leaving Kurt to himself in the bleachers.

Later that afternoon, just before Kurt took his spot amongst the background band he called Blaine over and broke their date for that evening. His nerves were too shot after Santana's warning to imagine going on a date that night.

* * *

Nenette Anderson knew when something was wrong with one of her sons. With Cooper she could often tell by the way the man carried himself. Cooper, always bright eyed and charismatic, looked sullen and lost when his spirits were low. Blaine on the other hand, was quiet and far less fidgety. When something was wrong with Blaine it was as if his entire world had ended. Gone was the look of hope on face when things were not working in his favor. In turn, Blaine looked personally offended, as if the world had conspired to do him wrong.

"What's wrong, darling?" Nenette asked as she entered her son's room late one Thursday evening. Truth be told, Nenette was surprised to see her son at home that night. Usually Thursday's were reserved for Kurt while Fridays were reserved for the rest of his friends. Mondays were reserved for late glee rehearsals and Tuesdays were for Mathlete practice. Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays belonged to Nenette. She and her son spent those nights catching up on each other's lives and enjoying each other's company. While Nenette enjoyed the idea of spending an extra night with her son, she hated to imagine that it was a result of some wrong doing. Unfortunately, that seemed to be exactly the case. "Why the long face?"

Blaine huffed as he propped himself up with his back against his headboard. The young man crossed his arms over his chest and pouted to the far wall, not answering his mother's question. That did not sit well with the woman. With her long, curly hair piled high atop her head and her designer heels clicking across the wood floor, Nenette made her way across the room and took a seat on the far end of her son's bed. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong or are you going to make a poor, old woman guess?" She asked.

Blaine's face instantly softened. "You're not old, mom." He replied, much to his mother's delight. "And...I don't know. I'm just frustrated."

"About?" Nenette prodded. She knew if she could get her son to start talking then he would not stop. He would open his mouth and share his secrets. He would flash his wounds for her to heal.

Defeated, Blaine sighed. "About Kurt. Everything was all set for us to go to Breadsticks tonight and the _bam _he canceled right before glee rehearsal was about to start. He literally just walked up to me and said 'hey, I can't go out with you tonight' and then walked over to the other backup band kids. _Then_, he asked sophomore _Mercedes Jones _to take him home instead of riding with me. It was like he was purposely trying to not be around today. And I don't even understand that because he was all about our date at lunch and then _bam_...canceled" Blaine immediately curled back into himself once he had his dilemma off of his chest.

Nenette frowned. She hated seeing her baby in such a sour mood. "I'm sorry, darling. I'm sure Kurt had a good reason for canceling your date and I'm sure he had a better reason for asking _sophomore_ Mercedes Jones to take him home after school. I mean, you said it yourself, Kurt doesn't have a lot of friends outside of your friendship with him. Maybe he got the opportunity to spend the evening with another friend. Wouldn't it make you happy to see Kurt making more friends?"

"No!" Blaine pouted. His lip quivered a bit, making him look every bit the petulant child that Nenette knew he could be. "I want to go out to Breadsticks and then I want to go to The Lima Bean afterward. I want to try to talk him into drinking coffee though I know he will refuse and stick with his hot chocolate. Kurt _hates_ coffee."

"I'm sure he does, honey and I'm sorry that your plans changed. Maybe Kurt just needed some time to himself. You have to remember that he is a few years younger than you are so he may need some time to himself. You should give him that, okay." Nenette suggested as she patted her son's shoulder.

"Or I could just call him and ask him why he canceled on me." Blaine mused.

Nenette quickly countered. "_Or_ you could wait a bit and let Kurt come to you. I've heard you two on the phone, it won't be long until you guys are back to normal."

Blaine shook his head, the cogs in his mind spinning at a frightening pace. Ideas were forming and that was never a good thing in Nenette's opinion. Her son was wonderful but he was also a bit of a dreamer and every bit the drama queen she'd always believed him to be. "Or maybe I could just ask him to be my boyfriend. Then he'd be kind of obligated to not cancel our dates."

Nenette's eyes went wide. "Ummm...why don't you just step back for a second and let Kurt come to you?" More than anything, Nenette wanted to diffuse whatever idea her son had before he blew it out of proportion. _Goodness knows it won't take much for him to do that._

"Or I could sing him a song at the pep rally on Friday." Blaine suggested, his mood brightening by the second. "It'll be great. The entire school can watch me sing to him and-"

"_OR_ you can wait until he calls you and _stop_ trying to get his attention in front of the entire school!" Nenette tried once again.

Her son rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Parents just don't understand." He muttered, much to his mother's dismay. And just like that, Nenette knew she'd lost the battle. _Poor Kurt. He made other plans one night and now my son is going to sing to him in front of the entire school. I hope this doesn't blow up in my baby's face. _

* * *

The situation blew up in Blaine's face almost instantly. While his impromptu rendition of Let's Get It On' was well received by the student body -particularly the young ladies that refused to believe that the junior was gay- neither Kurt, nor the faculty appreciated the stunt. Midway through Blaine's soulful rendition of the song Kurt stood from his spot in the bleachers and stomped unnoticed out of the gymnasium. Blaine was left flabbergasted. I _was sure he liked Marvin Gaye. Who doesn't like Marvin Gaye?_ Apparently the adults in the building did not. Just shy of the song's end, Mr. Schuester rushed down and pulled Blaine from in front of the microphone.

Because of the performance and the subsequent sex riot that ensued Blaine was suspended for three days. It was the first suspension he'd ever received. _And had Kurt liked my song it would have been worth it. _

"Your teachers are being very kind by letting you do your work from home and you should thank Mr. Schuester for not kicking you out of glee club." Nenette said as she escorted her son to his locker. Of all the stupid things her sons had done over the years, Nenette had to say that this was by far the most bizarre. She'd never been called to a school to pick up her son for singing sexually explicit songs to fellow students. "What were you thinking when you decided to sing that song to Kurt in front of the whole school?"

Blaine shrank a bit. He'd thought Kurt would love it but, apparently not. Since rushing from the gym, Blaine hadn't seen hide nor hair of Kurt. He was disappointed to say the least. "I don't know." He muttered. "I just….I panicked and I had to act."

"Or you could have waited for him to come to you." Nenette muttered, just low enough for her son not to hear.

"It really freaked me out that he canceled and-" As they turned the corner towards Blaine's locker the junior stopped in his tracks. Perched against Blaine's locker with books held tightly to his chest was Kurt. He looked awkward, uncomfortable, and as if he would have rather been anywhere else in the world.

Nenette noticed Kurt almost as soon as Blaine did. "Oh….hi….you must be Kurt." The woman said as she closed the distance between herself and the fidgeting young man. "I'm Nenette, Blaine's mother." The woman extended her hand to him. After a bit of hesitation, Kurt accepted it.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Anderson."

"Please, call me Nenette."

"Yes, Ms. Nenette." Kurt squeaked as he pulled his hand back and wiped his damp palms on his jeans. "May I please speak with Blaine for a moment?" He asked cautiously.

A warm smile spread across the woman's face. "Of course, dear! I'll just go gather Blaine's assignments from his teachers." Without a moment's hesitation, Nenette Anderson passed her son's locker and made her way down the hallway to nowhere in particular. Truth be told she had no idea where any of her son's classes were.

With his mother gone, Blaine was left with Kurt, each of them staring awkwardly at their toes. "I'm sorry I ran out." Kurt whispered too ashamed or embarrassed -Blaine wasn't sure which- to look up. "You just….one minute you're singing with the entire club and then you're breaking into songs about….._that_….and looking straight at me while you did it. I know that nobody else noticed but I did and I had to get out of there."

Blaine was silent for a moment, taking in each word that Kurt spoke. "Was it the song that made you run out? Because I've been really trying to hold back this feeling for so long. And if you feel like I feel, baby, then...come on. Oh...come on." Blaine spoke, earning a chuckle from the freshman.

"I wasn't trying to make you feel uncomfortable, Kurt. When you canceled on me, it threw me through a loop. I kind of panicked. This is what happens when I panic and I'm sorry if I freaked you out. I just...wanted to lay it all out there and...yeah...this blew up in my face. Sorry if I embarrassed you." Blaine's mood died right before Kurt's eyes. He'd seemed almost hopeful when he walked up and now he seemed sullen, completely heartbroken of his own accord. Kurt did not like that. Not one bit.

"I didn't cancel because of you, ya know." Kurt started, his eyes slowly making their way to meet Blaine's. "I had a conversation with someone yesterday and it turned me on my head. I was feeling unworthy and so I decided to step back for the evening. As far as your performance….I left because…..Blaine….my dad doesn't know that I'm gay. Not yet at least. I honestly don't know how he's going to react and some of those people know him or their parents know him. Before I got home from school on the first day he already knew that I'd met you and that we had lunch together. If anyone found out that you were singing to me then he would have known within the hour. I'm not sure if I'm ready to have that conversation with him yet. Everyone knows here but they don't talk about it with him and, if they do, he never mentions it. This….this would have forced them to talk about it with him and I can't deal with that. Not yet. Does that make sense?"

Blaine hated that every word out of Kurt's mouth made sense. He'd once been the scared boy that was building slowly up to telling his father that he didn't want to date his client's daughter. Blaine knew how completely petrifying that entire experience was. So, Blaine momentarily dropped the topic and focused on the other things that Kurt had said. "Who could you possibly has spoken with that made you feel how you felt. You looked….almost frightened."

Kurt made a face, obviously not wanting to tell Blaine. "It was nothing and it was no one. It was just….I just couldn't last night. Can you just….accept that?"

_No. I don't want to._ In the end, Blaine did however. He accepted Kurt's answer, apologized once again, said his goodbyes, and headed off in the direction that he was sure his mother went in. Later that evening, long after his grounding had begun and his string of text messages with Kurt died down, Blaine received a message from Santana. It shed a bit of light on why Kurt had canceled

**Loved the song at the pep rally! It was very begg-y chic. Had I known threatening Hummel would cause him to cancel your date and get you suspended for three days I wouldn't have done it. Oh well….Sleepover next Friday? By then I will have missed you enough for 2 lifetimes and I needs my B time. -Tana**

**What do you mean 'threatening Hummel?' -Blaine**

**You know...the usual. Hurt my boy and I'll hurt you kinda deal. -Tana**

**So this was all your fault! Santana I don't need you to do things like that for me! Kurt and I were doing just fine and now he's all freaked out! YOU SUCK! -Blaine**

**Not in a while...and it was an accident. I didn't know he was going to go all frightened little birdie on me. I figured he would heed my warning but I never imagined he would cancel your date. I'm a little proud to know that I've got it like that! -Tana**

**whatever! I'm mad at you so no sleep over next weekend. I'll be spending my time trying to figure out how to get Kurt and I back to where we were. -Blaine**

**I hate you sometimes! -Tana**

**Well I'm not very fond of you right now either. -Blaine**

That night, Blaine found himself back at square one. Once again he had to find a way of approaching Kurt without freaking him out. The task seemed daunting and almost unattainable after Santana's stunt but Blaine knew he could do it. I'll just have to keep swimming. _Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. _

* * *

Friday Night Dinners were a proper affair in the Hummel household, so much so that Kurt capitalized the first letter of each word when referring to it in his head and in his text messages. When Mercedes, a sophomore that sang with the glee club, text him earlier that evening to see if he wanted to join her and Tina for a movie, Kurt politely declined.

**Sorry. I have Friday Night Dinner with my dad. It's pretty important in our house. -Kurt**

Mercedes and Tina were very understanding and did not broach the subject again.

That night the Hummel men ate a chicken casserole -_I found the recipe online_- and discussed their days. Burt spoke quickly and passionately about how well the newly opened shop was coming along while Kurt picked at his food. Truth be told, after the day he'd had, Kurt was not very hungry. Burt picked up on his son's lack of appetite instantly. "...and the cow jumped over the moon." Burt finished lamely in hopes of earning his son's attention.

Unfortunately, it did not work and Kurt continued to pick at his dinner. "Uh huh...that's great, Dad."

"Yeah...and Freddie Krueger came by the shop to visit today. He heard that I kept oil for his hand in the back of my closet, next to Narnia."

"That's awesome, Dad."

"Yeah. He also told me that you ran out of an assembly while that Blaine kid sang some Marvin Gaye to the entire school. Is that what's got you so distracted?"

Kurt's fork hit his plate with a loud clank. With eyes as wide as saucers, Kurt slowly looked up at his father. "Who told you that?" Kurt whispered harshly. "Who said I….I didn't….I had to go to the restroom."

Burt held his hands up in mock defense. "Wow kid, calm down. It was just a question and….is that what's got you all weird? Did something happen that's got you all up in arms because….I'll go down to that school if I have to and handle this. I'm not going to have people making you uncomfortable, I don't care how popular they are."

"No. No. No, Dad. It wasn't like that. Blaine making me feel uncomfortable it's just….." Kurt stopped for a moment, wondering where he intended to take the conversation. On one hand Kurt knew he could take the big step he'd been dreading and finally share his most coveted secret with his father. On the other hand, Kurt knew that it wouldn't take much to distract his father and take him into another conversation. "It's just…."

"It's just what?" Kurt was at a fork in the road. He wanted information, needed help, but was unsure if opening up to his father was his best course of action. _But we've always been honest with one another._ And just like that, Kurt's decision was made.

"It's just...Dad….can I talk to you about something really important?" Burt put his fork down instantly, giving his son his undivided attention. "It's just….well….I….there….I need to tell you something and….I...I don't know how to really. I…." Kurt punctuated his sentence with a shrug. His words were beginning to fail him.

Burt stared long at hard at his son, watching as the frail boy began to shake under his gaze. "You can tell me anything, Kurt. We can always be honest with one another."

Kurt nodded. He knew. Or at least he hoped that he knew. "I…..well…" Kurt stuttered. "I….um….you see….well…."

"Spit it out, kid."

_I can't_. If Kurt was capable of 'spitting it out' as his father had so eloquently put it then Kurt would have told his father long ago of his predisposition to the more masculine sex. Unfortunately the words were hard to say, harder than any words Kurt ever spoke. "I….ummmm…Dad….I'm…...different."

Kurt watched as his father's eyebrows shot into his nonexistent hairline. He was on a roll, however and did not let that deter him. "Like...different than other boys and I know that you know that. And...well….even though I'm different I still need my dad for something and I just need to know you'll be there for me despite these differences."

"You know I lo-" Burt began. He was instantly cut off by his son. Whatever Kurt was trying to tell him was obviously important.

"I know you think that but….you can't always be sure. There is always a possibility that I could mess up at some point. I could be something other than what you expect at some point. I could disappoint you like that." Kurt snapped his fingers to add emphasis to his statement.

"You could never disappoint me, kiddo."

Kurt nearly scoffed. "If you say so, Dad. I'm sure I could do something to disappoint you."

Burt shook his head from across the table. "Nah. I can't think of a single thing….unless you're a Michigan fan. That would be truly disappointing."

"I don't have any problems with Michigan. I think it's a lovely state. And Detroit is Motor City so…."

"That's not even what I meant, son. But that's not important. What's important is that you're trying to tell me something and I'm trying to get you to understand that you can't disappointment."

Kurt made a face of disbelief. "I'm not sure if I believe you."

"Try."

"But I'm scared."

"Why?"

"Because I'm gay and I don't know how you'll feel about that." Time seemed to stop in the tiny kitchen as Kurt shared his deepest secret with his father, the one that he'd kept guarded close to his heart since the seventh grade. Though he felt like he was finally shedding the last remnants of a giant weight from his shoulders, Kurt knew that he was picking up a new load with his admission. Especially if he isn't pleased.

Kurt chanced a look at his father. Burt was balanced on two legs of his chair with his hands crossed thoughtfully over his giant gut. He was staring intensely at his son. "Are you sure?" He eventually asked, his voice gruff and authoritative but not angry. Kurt nodded. He was most certainly sure. "Okay."

"Okay?" Kurt asked, a bit taken back by his father's nonchalance on the matter.

Burt nodded. "Okay. I mean….I can't say I'm thrilled about the idea and I'm most certainly not ready to talk to you about guys but….if that's who you are then I can't and won't change you. I'll also love you no matter what."

"Really?" Kurt was still trying to process the situation.

"Really." Burt replied. Before the word was fully out of his mouth Kurt was out of his chair and around the table. He threw himself at his father, completely relieved that at least half the battle was over. "Now tell me what you need my help with. Is it about a guy because I'm really, really not ready for that yet."

The way Kurt stiffened in his arms let Burt know that he'd hit the nail on the head. The eldest Hummel groaned. "Oh.. come on. Are you serious? Already? Can't we wait a while like….seventeen years? I think thirty-two would be a great age for you to start dating."

As his father spoke, Kurt pulled away. He looked down at his father with concerned eyes. "Thirty-two is a ways away and I have a problem _now_."

With a sigh and the understanding that if he didn't help his son then Kurt would look elsewhere for assistance, Burt motioned for his son to take his seat and listened as Kurt explained his issue. It was the hardest Friday Night Dinner Burt had sat through in quite a while. It was also one that transformed Burt's relationship with his son from strictly that of parent and child to parent, child, and best friends.

* * *

The next week passed slowly for Kurt and Blaine. While Kurt was ecstatic that he'd finally come out to his father, Blaine was sullen because his relationship with Santana was not at its best. He was still angry with her for her 'meeting' with Kurt and Santana refused to believe she'd acted as anything other than a great friend. So, they avoided each other. Santana spent much of her time with her fellow Cheerios and Blaine spent his with Kurt and his glee friends.

On Friday, during lunch, Kurt touched on the subject. "I think this thing with you and Santana has gone far enough. She and I may not be each other's favorite people but…..I think this is done. Like….I can tell its killing you not to talk to her. Why don't you guys just make up?" The freshman suggested dug into the salad that he and Blaine chose to share that day.

Blaine scoffed in response. "I'll make up with her when she apologizes for ruining my chances with you." Throughout the week Blaine had made many offhand comments of the same context, much to Kurt's dismay. He looked so sad when he said it. It was as if Blaine honestly believed that Kurt wouldn't look twice at him because of what Santana said. Truth be told, Kurt wanted to be with Blaine. Each time he opened his mouth to speak the words, however, his throat constricted and the words were forced back down into the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah." Kurt eventually responded. He was far too concerned with Blaine's obvious disappointment to pay further attention to Blaine's lack of intentions of making up with his best friend.

That night, just before Kurt and his father were meant to sit down for their weekly tradition, the freshman received a text from his friend.

**Whatcha doooooin? - Blaine**

**About to eat FND with my dad. Why? - Kurt**

**Because I'm bored. This is the second Friday night in a row that I've been 'not talking' to Tana. She's my weekend date and now I don't have one. : ( - Blaine**

**I'm sorry to hear that but I'm about to sit down for dinner. I'll call you when we're done. - Kurt**

**: ( So does that mean I have to sit outside your house until you call me. - Blaine**

**It's cold out here. - Blaine**

Kurt read the message twice before calling Blaine. The junior answered on the second ring. "'ello Govna." Blaine greeted in a horrible British accent.

"What do you mean outside my house?" Kurt asked, ignoring Blaine's greeting.

There was a brief pause before Blaine answered. "Well… I kind of thought you guys already ate so I came over. I mean...it's almost ten on a Friday night and you guys usually eat at like eight."

"Dad worked late tonight. We're getting a late start and….why would you just come over? My curfew _is_ ten so I couldn't go out anyways. And we most certainly cannot have a movie night," Kurt lowered his voice considerably as the conversation progressed to keep his father from listening in, "with my dad here. He would not be pleased."

"Kurt! Where are you? I'm gonna sit down at eat all the shrimp out of this pasta if you don't hurry up." Burt shouted from another room. Kurt pulled a face, things were happening too fast for him to deal with them.

Rather than shouting back, Kurt asked Blaine to hold for a moment and walked hastily to the dining room where his father was quickly setting the table. "Dad," the freshman huffed, "one of my friends took it upon themselves to come over without calling and now they are waiting outside. Can they eat with us?" Kurt asked hopefully. He'd spoken in depth with his father about Blaine -excluding the part about them spending Thursday nights alone in the house- and, surprisingly, Burt was quite accepting of the situation. _Most people are accepting after six or seven beers. He drank a lot that night. _

Burt raised an eyebrow. "Kurt, you only have two friends. And Mercedes is coming over tomorrow night so I'm assuming it must be Blaine." Kurt fidgeted a bit under his father's knowing stare.

"Maybe." He all but squeaked. Telling his father everything was both refreshing and nerve wracking. It made him feel just the slightest bit vulnerable and exposed.

With a shake of his head, Burt sighed. "Tell that kid to get his ass in here before he catches a terrible cold. It may be March but that doesn't mean that the kid needs to be standing outside like somebody _trying _to get sick."

Kurt nodded excitedly before turning his attention back to his call. "Blaine."

"Yeah."

"My dad said 'get your ass' in here and eat dinner with us before you catch a cold."

* * *

Blaine paused for a moment, considering his options. Did Kurt actually want him to go inside and sit down for dinner with his father, the man that Kurt still hadn't come out to? How was Blaine supposed to sit at dinner with Kurt's father and not make mushy heart eyes at the freshman? _Well….I guess it doesn't matter. It's not like I can say no._ "Okay. I'll be inside in a second." Blaine responded, his voice cracking a bit due to nervousness.

"Hurry up." Kurt shot back. "I got this _amazing _recipe for shrimp alfredo from the internet and my dad is about two seconds away from digging all the shrimp out and leaving just alfredo."

"Gotcha." Blaine answered just before the call was disconnected. The junior sighed heavily as he looked up at the quaint, two story house before him. It was an off shade of white with shutters that could use a good power washing and a driveway that needed repaving. It looked like a real home, unlike the home Blaine still lived in. Though his father was gone and Nenette was finally coming into her own, their house still looked like the show house for the subdivision they lived in. The outside and inside were twin versions of pristine, not an article out of place.

Kurt's house looked lived in. It looked like Kurt was the one to tend to the tiny flower beds and shrubs that sat beneath each of the first floor windows, rather than a gardener that a judge declared his father responsible for paying for. It looked as if Burt was sometimes too tired to clean up spilled grease in the driveway and that sometimes Kurt forgot to sweep the porch. It was a real house with a real family, something that Blaine secretly yearned for.

Aside from having a real house and a real family, Kurt had a real problem. To Blaine's knowledge, the freshman wasn't out of the closet at home, making the situation at hand far more difficult than Blaine ever anticipated. _Oh crap_. Blaine took a deep breath. Regardless of how he imagined the situation going, this was what he was getting. He was meeting Kurt's father whether he wanted to or not.

* * *

Dinner was an awkward affair. Every few minutes, Burt would look up and shoot what Blaine perceived as a glare in his direction. Truth be told, it was a look of pure curiosity. When Kurt was explaining that relationship between himself and the very popular junior, Burt wondered to himself what a popular, older boy would want with his son. When Kurt confirmed Burt's longtime suspicions of his sexuality, Burt knew exactly what the older, popular boy wanted. Because of such knowledge, the dinner was doomed before it truly started.

"Would either of you like something else to drink?" Kurt asked, holding up the pitcher of sweet tea he'd made earlier that evening. He was doing anything and everything he could to ease the tension in the room. After the initial introductions -Blaine offering a shaky hand to Burt and Burt grunting a greeting as he took that hand- silence fell over the group. It seemed to Kurt that both his father and his friend were far too interested in pretending to be interested in their food to actually speak with one another. Kurt was growing tired of their lack of interest in one another by the second. "Or would anyone like to start a conversation? I, personally, would love to discuss the rumors I heard about a new line of Marc Jacobs-"

Kurt was cut off by the sound of his father's voice. "Actually, Kurt, as interesting as Marky Mark might be, I'd like to start a conversation with Blaine about his intentions with you." Kurt's jaw snapped shut as he turned his attention to the scene before him. His father was staring from his end of the table, burning a hole straight through Blaine. "I kind of find it hard to believe that a popular junior, as Kurt described you, would take interest in my son unless he had some underlying intentions. What are your intentions, Blaine? Are you trying to trick him? Is this some practical joke? If not, are you just trying to sleep with him?"

Blaine gasped loudly, taken aback by the line of questioning. He was not sure what frightened him more, the prospect of having Kurt's very large, very frightening father assuming that their friendship was some practical joke, or the fact that Kurt's very large, very frightening father knew he was gay and was suggesting that he was interested in his son. _Both seem pretty frightening to me. _

"I….Ummm...well…"

Burt ignored Blaine's stammer completely. "Because Kurt is a good boy. He deserves real friends and someone who is really interested in him. If this is a joke or some kind of play to get into his pants then you need to fess up and then hit the bricks."

Confused, Blaine looked to Kurt. The freshman looked just as confused and mortified by his father's words as their guest did. To Blaine, that meant that Kurt was confused and mortified. "No sir, I….it's not a joke. I would never, ever, try to hurt Kurt like that. He's a great guy and I really do like being his friend. And as for the other things," Blaine was momentarily at a loss. If he said too much then Kurt would never get a chance to tell his father himself that he was gay. Blaine did not want to be the person that took that away from him. "Sir, I…."

Kurt cut in, sensing that wherever Blaine was going would not be good for the situation. "Dad! What in the world are you doing? You invited him in. If you were going to act like this then you should have let him sit out there. And, trust me, Blaine is the last boy in the world that's going to try to 'get into my pants'. He's not like that. He's kind and caring. He's the kind of boyfriend I want. And, as my dad, don't you want me to have everything I want?"

Blaine was not sure what confused him more. Was it the way Burt's eyes seemed to hit the table, shamed over his actions, the moment Kurt began talking about his wants? Was the way Kurt spoke so freely with his father about things that Blaine was certain were still a secret? Or was it the way Kurt said that Blaine was the type of boyfriend he wanted?_ Probably all of them. We'll take all three for the win. _

"Also, weren't you the one that told me to let what Santana said go and take a chance? If I recall, you said 'stick your neck out, son. I don't want to see you hurt but life hurts sometimes. You have to go for it, all of it, even if I'm a little uncomfortable with it'. You said that." Kurt insisted.

"Yeah, I also said that I wanted to talk to this Blaine kid before you guys went any further. This is me talking to him." Burt defended in a moment of fatherly gusto.

Kurt scoffed. "No it's not. It's you barking at him and making sure I never get a boyfriend." Kurt all but shouted. Any further words died in his throat the second his father turned a stern look to him. They may have been on uneven ground before but not anymore. Burt was catching his footing and taking charge of the situation. The tables were once again turned correctly and Kurt was quiet in his seat, staring at his hands rather than his father's gaze.

"Are you done being the parent in this conversation, Kurt?" Burt asked calmly. Rather than speaking, Kurt nodded. "Good. Now you," Burt turned back to Blaine, "I want real answers. I want to know that you're not trying to take advantage of him. I need to know that I can trust him with you. You're older, you're more experienced I'm assuming, and I need to know that my kid isn't going to get his heart broken off the bat because you talked him into something he's not ready for."

"I would never, Mr. Hummel. And, for the record, I'm not more experienced than anybody. I mean….unless you count experience in erasing browser history." Blaine commented awkwardly, earning a face palm from Kurt and an eyebrow raise from Kurt's father.

* * *

The remainder of dinner was far less eventful. While the conversation finally picked up, the tension was noticeably absent. A welcome change in Kurt's opinion.

"I'm glad my son's first boyfriend is a Buckeye fan. I always imagined he'd bring home some kid that watched golf or whatever. I don't know, some skateboard kid with weird hair. Or worse, a Michigan fan." Burt chuckled as he dug into the pudding that Kurt made for dessert. Little did he know, Kurt used all natural ingredients, which made it both healthy and delicious.

Blaine chuckled as he shook his head. The mood had definitely lightened for the better. With Kurt's father assuming that they were dating -and being okay with that- and Kurt flitting around handing out food left and right, Blaine felt like the night couldn't be better. "Definitely not one of those. I've been an OSU fan since before I was born. My mother attended. She was a cheerleader there while she got her degree in social work. You couldn't even say Michigan in our house without there being a problem."

"I still don't see what the issue with Michigan is." Kurt said when he finally took his seat. "I mean, I have two words Motor City." He finished triumphantly.

Burt and Blaine exchanged a look before shaking their heads. "Not what we meant, kiddo." Burt replied.

* * *

Later that night, far past midnight, when dinner was finally over, Burt asked Blaine what his curfew was, when Blaine replied that he'd missed it by a bit, Burt offered to call the boy's mother in his defense. Blaine gladly accepted the offer.

A short phone call later, Burt advised Blaine that his mother was concerned with him driving home so late. In turn, Burt suggested that Blaine stay the night. "On the couch!" He advised, leaving absolutely no room for debate. "And Kurt is to stay in his room. I'm not messing around here, guys." Burt went on to advise that Kurt had a few more minutes before he needed to head up to his room -alone- so those few minutes could be spent with Blaine. The two watched the mechanic head up to his room after the rules were dished out.

Once Burt was out of earshot, Blaine turned to Kurt. "Your dad took everything unbelievably well. It was like he already knew you were gay."

Kurt, who looked amazing in his dressed down, Friday night attire offered Blaine a lopsided smile. "Well, he did. Didn't you hear me yelling at him about how he told me to stick my neck out with you and all that jazz? I talked to him about it last week at dinner. He was surprisingly okay with it, though he did drink quite a few beers during dinner. I think he was a little overwhelmed but he knew I needed help and I've always been able to talk to him when I need help so…"

For a brief second Blaine was jealous of Kurt, unbelievably so. He wanted his father to be like Kurt's. He wanted his father to care so much that he would put any discomfort aside for the sake of making him feel comfortable. _At least I have my mom._ Blaine told himself. Immediately his jealousy subsided and more important matters popped into his head. "What about him thinking I was your boyfriend? He called me that all night. Am I….do you want me to be…..because you seemed pretty against it with the whole Santana situation and all that and…"

"Of course I do." Kurt cut in. "I thought that was obvious. And I was a bit put out by the Santana situation but I can't let Santana's feelings on anything scare me away from you. I really like you and I want to see where this goes." Kurt scooted closer to Blaine on the couch that they were occupying for the evening and placed his hand atop Blaine's. "Besides, you promised to always save me and I think I deserve to finally be saved from my singleness."

Blaine chuckled. He repositioned his hands so that that his fingers were laced with Kurt's. "It would be my honor to save you from your singleness. And don't worry about Santana. She's just super protective. In a few weeks she'll like you more than she likes me."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Doubt it."

"I don't. She's my oldest friend and she gets weird about me and guys. Just...don't worry. She'll like you just as much as I like you in no time."

Kurt pulled back a bit and shot Blaine a look. "I hope not. There are things I want to do with you that I do not want to do with Santana."

A jolt of excitement shot through Blaine's body. While Kurt was awkward and uncomfortable at times, he could also be incredibly playful and teasing at times. "Like what?" Blaine asked, anticipating the answer more than he anticipated his next breath.

"Like…"

"Like nothing!" A shout came from the top of the stairs. "Kurt get your ass upstairs and take a cold shower or something. Anderson you better not get anything on my couch!"

The boys jumped apart so quickly that the speed of light could not keep up. That night, Blaine did not find out what Kurt wanted to do with him.

* * *

A few weeks into April, after Blaine and Santana made up and after Burt finally agreed to let Kurt go out with Blaine officially on Thursday nights, Blaine found out just how ready Kurt was for their relationship. The age difference concerned him for a bit but that concern did not last long. On their one month anniversary, a Thursday, the two went out to see a movie. It was a fantasy flick that Blaine had been waiting anxiously to see with an actor that Kurt had been waiting anxiously to see.

That night the young couple made out in their first movie theater. The room was empty and their hormones were running high. That night the young couple took full advantage of their situation. Neither regretted it.

As time marched on, April into May and May through the end of the school year, Kurt and Blaine allowed their relationship to flourish while slowly exploring one another's bodies. They touched and teased with ghosting hands and flushed cheeks until they were so close they could taste it. They never finished, however. Kurt made it clear to his boyfriend that he wasn't ready to take that step yet and Blaine respected his boundaries. Blaine always respected his boundaries.

Just before the beginning of Blaine's senior year, the year when things began to fall apart, Kurt told Blaine that he was ready and Blaine almost passed out. He'd waited so patiently and he was about to reap the rewards of his patience.

Blaine booked a suite at the Ritz Carlton in Cleveland and Kurt lied to his father for the first time. "I'm staying with Mercedes tonight." He told his father. Burt was hesitant to agree with such short notice but the look on his son's face forced agreement out of him.

The following Saturday night, with much fumbling and hesitation, Kurt and Blaine gave themselves to each other. It was slightly painful but mostly beautiful and everything that each boy expected and hoped for. That night, they felt closer than they had in six months they'd been together.

* * *

Blaine's senior year was nerve wracking. With Blaine spending his time filling out college applications and Kurt becoming more involved with the glee club and making more friends, the young couple barely had time for one another. At first, neither noticed. They text each night and between classes. They continued their Thursday night dates and Blaine occasionally stopped by for Friday Night Dinner. They did not believe there to be any problems in their relationships. That belief disintegrated around Thanksgiving when Blaine told Kurt that he would not be around for the holiday.

"I have to go see my dad. My mom says he is trying and that I should give him a chance. So….yay me. I get to spend a holiday with the walking embodiment of homophobia." Blaine cheered sarcastically.

Kurt pouted a bit, feeling bad for him. "I'm sorry, baby. Why don't you come over tonight while my dad is at the second shop and I'll make you feel better? It's Tuesday and I won't see you until at least Saturday. Ya know….with Black Friday shopping and all."

"I'm not in the mood." Blaine sighed. "I'll just….I'll see you whenever." With that, Blaine pushed away from his locker and moped down the hall without another word. Kurt was left standing alone and disappointed.

Unexpectedly, Kurt ended up seeing Blaine before Saturday. Late Thursday night, after Kurt had cleared away the dishes from the dinner he and his father shared that night and his father was passed out in front of the blaring television -turkey coma- his phone rang. It was Blaine.

"Dinner sucked and I'm driving back now. I can't go home though because I don't want to be alone and my mom is in New York visiting Cooper, who refused to partake in this Thanksgiving fuckery." Blaine wailed the moment Kurt answered the phone.

"Do you need to come over?" Kurt eventually asked, once the shock of the phone call after a few days of not speaking kicked in. "My dad won't have a problem if you come here."

Blaine sniffed on the other end of the line before responding. "No. I mean….I want to come get you. Will he let you leave for a little bit? It would have been our date night after all."

Kurt looked over at his sleeping father. "Ummm….he's asleep and I don't think I could wake him. Hell, I don't think a freight train could wake him. I can get out for a little bit though. Just a little while. He won't notice."

Blaine agreed and told Kurt to meet him at the corner of his street fifteen minutes after the end of their phone call.

Fifteen minutes later Kurt was standing just below a far street light and Blaine was pulling up. Kurt hopped into the car without question and the duo sped off to an unnamed location.

Five or so minutes into the trip, Kurt looked over at his boyfriend. He was already aware that Blaine had been crying but seeing it and hearing it were two different things. Blaine's eyes were puffy and red and nose was running on par with that of a sickly child. "Blaine are-" The senior held his hand up, silencing his boyfriend.

Much to Kurt's dismay the silence hung between them until they reached their destination. It was a small clearing in the woods near the rocky banks of the Ottawa River. Blaine's car crunched along into the clearing until Blaine felt it could go no further and parked it. He killed the engine and quickly turned to his boyfriend.

There, cloaked in darkness, next to the river, inside his car, Blaine bared his soul. He told Kurt of his awful dinner experience, of the disappointment he felt when he realized he was all alone, and of the undeniable need to get out as quickly as possible.

"He made me feel like this…._thing_. I can't even describe it. He just kept saying that it was sick that I was using some boy to get out my perverse sexual needs and that I could find a nice girl that would do that without doing all this. Then his girlfriend kept saying that she knew a girl. It's just….he made me feel like some pervert, preying on you. I'm not doing that, Kurt. This isn't just some phase for me. Do you understand that?"

Kurt nodded quickly. He knew that Blaine cared for him. "It just...it made me so angry. I couldn't believe he did that to me. He kept saying I'd get over this and that I'll move on and you'll be hurt. I won't Kurt. I'm not using you for some experiment. This, what we have, is real. It's beyond real because I….I love you. I love you and I would never hurt you."

Kurt's breath caught in his throat. He should have known then that things were too perfect to be true. Nothing that perfect ever happened to him yet, there it was, right before his eyes. The most popular boy in school with eyes of the sweetest honey and a voice of the finest silk was declaring his love. It was like a movie and Blaine was the prince. "I love you too." Kurt responded eagerly. "So much."

Blaine sighed what sounded to be the sound of relief. "Good. Good." He breathed, his tears drying slowly.

Once their moment was over and Blaine's tears were gone, the two ventured out of the car into the cold November air to hunt constellations. It was late and Burt was likely still passed out in his recliner, much to Kurt's relief. Laid on top of throw blankets in the back of Blaine's El Camino, the two gazed up into the clear night sky.

"That's Ursa Minor." Blaine explained as he pointed up towards the line of stars just above them.

"What?" Kurt asked, as he followed Blaine's pointing finger to the constellation.

Blaine chuckled before responding. "Also known as The Little Dipper." Blaine explained. "The North Star is the one at the very end." Again, Kurt followed his boyfriend's finger straight to the star.

Laying in the back of Blaine's car was heavenly. The two cuddled close to preserve body heat while November air whirled around them. They were happy, comfortable, and so completely in love with one another. The evening was perfect.

"Isn't the North Star supposed to be the brightest star in the sky?" Kurt asked as he wrapped his arm around Blaine's waist and rested his head on his chest. He knew the question would send Blaine talking on a million scientific topics that made him sound every bit the nerd Kurt knew he was.

"Oh my gosh no." Blaine gasped. "Technically, the Sun is the brightest star in our sky. It's followed by Sirius and-" Blaine went on and on naming stars brighter than the North Star. Kurt couldn't help but chuckle as his boyfriend continued. When he was finished, Kurt lifted his head just enough to plant a loving kiss on his boyfriend's chin.

"You, Mr. Anderson, are a dork. And, if you ask me, I'll tell you what the brightest star in my sky is."

"What's the brightest star in your sky?" Blaine asked, curious to know where Kurt was going with the conversation.

"The brightest star in my sky is Blaine Anderson. He's funny, sweet, smart, loving, and so very talented. He's the kind of guy I've been waiting my whole life for."

Blaine blushed a bit before turning his attention back to the sky. He liked the sound of what Kurt was saying. It made him feel like someone saw him for who he was, rather than who they wanted him to be. "If I'm a star in your sky then you're the moon to my stars. You're my rock. And I love you to the moon and back."

"I love you to the moon and back too." Kurt admitted.

That night, beneath the stars and the moon, Kurt and Blaine made love in the back of Blaine's El Camino. It was slow and passionate, everything they each needed out of the evening. When Kurt returned home the next morning he was grounded for a month. When Blaine returned home that morning he received a response from his first choice school, the one he'd never told Kurt about. NYADA, The New York Academy of Dramatic Arts, had written and they were offering him a spot that he could not give up. They were also forcing him to choose between his dreams and his boyfriend.

* * *

Kurt found out about NYADA and Blaine's dream to go through Santana just before Christmas. During his time with Blaine Santana found herself growing more accustomed to Kurt's never ending presence. The two were seated at a table full of Cheerios during first lunch while Blaine met with Ms. Pillsbury, the guidance counselor, about his future plans. That left his boyfriend and his best friend to fend for themselves, together.

"Are you going to eat that salad or are you going to pick at it?" Santana asked as she watched the sophomore across from her use his fork to dig holes in his salad. "Because if you're not going to eat it then you should pass it over so I can drown it in dressing and eat it how it was intended to be eaten."

Kurt sighed as he pushed salad towards her. "I'm not hungry. It sucks without Blaine here. I'm never hungry when he's not around."

Santana scoffed. "Well you better learn to deal with that. What are you going to do next year when he's in New York and you're here? Are you going to spend your days not eating? Albeit, you could stand to lose some baby fat, but not eating all year will probably force you to lose a bit more than baby fat."

Once she was finished speaking, Santana turned her attention to her newly acquired salad. She missed the awestruck look on Kurt's face until it was too late and he was standing from his seat and storming out of the cafeteria. _Drama queen. _She scoffed before turning her attention back to the salad.

* * *

"So you've decided to go to New York. What's the issue that you're having?" Ms. Pillsbury asked the senior. "What is it that you need my help with?"

Blaine sighed. He'd created quite a mess for himself. He received his letter from NYADA the month before and still hadn't told Kurt about his decision to go to the school. He'd also received an acceptance letter from UCLA, which he promptly trashed. He'd only applied to see if he could get in. He did, he felt good about it, but Blaine had no intentions of going all the way to the West Coast. Much to the senior's dismay, he was wait-listed for OSU. Of the three schools he applied to, NYADA was the one he wanted to go to and he hadn't told Kurt yet.

"Ummm...well...I have an issue and you may or may not be able to help me with it. Shane, a friend of mine, told me that you helped him and his girlfriend Mercedes work some things out and I wanted to see if you could help my boyfriend and I out." Blaine shifted nervously in his seat as he spoke. Though it was no secret that he was gay, he did not often use words such as 'my boyfriend' with people he was not completely comfortable with. He was stepping far out of his comfort zone. "Basically, I've decided to go to school out of state and I haven't told him yet. I don't know how and it's going to be bad when I finally do. Do you think you can help me?"

Blaine shot the teacher a hopeful look. He really did hope she could help. Luckily, Ms. Pillsbury believed herself an expert in the area. "Oh. I can definitely help you with that! We'll just bring you two in here and -"

Before Ms. Pillsbury could finish her sentence her office door flew open to reveal Kurt standing just outside the office in the hallway. "Santana just told me that you're going to college in New York. Care to explain?" Kurt half shouted, much to Blaine's dismay.

"Oh...are you the boyfriend because we can do this now." Ms. Pillsbury suggested, her voice wavering just a bit as she watched the senior shrink into his seat.

Kurt ignored her, instead keeping his gaze focused on Blaine. "Well?" Kurt prodded, causing Blaine to flinch terribly. If there was anything that Blaine knew about Kurt it was that he had a horrible temper. He'd seen the sophomore argue with his father on more than one occasion. He'd sat idle while his boyfriend questioned Mr. Schuester, the show choir director, and watched very hesitantly when Kurt and Santana had their issues. Not once had that temper been focused on Blaine. He was petrified.

"Well…."

"Well?" Kurt cut in, his face turning an interesting shade of red as he grew angrier. "Well what? I'm not even angry that you're going all the way to New York, no, that's not what's getting me. I think we can live through that. No, it's that Santana knew and I didn't. I get that she's your very best friend but I'm your boyfriend and I think I deserve to know what direction things are going. How would you like it if I did this to you?"

"I…."

"You wouldn't. You would hate it. You'd be so hurt if I told Mercedes my plans before sharing them with you." Kurt cut in once again. Surprisingly enough, that single statement infuriated Blaine.

"Stop interrupting me and stop telling me how I would feel about things. I made a mistake, I'm sorry. I know it was a mistake and I won't do it again. Can you just stop yelling at me?" He shot back. Kurt was stunned into silence, which Blaine was grateful for. "Thank you." Blaine sighed. "Now can you please come in here and sit down? Can we talk about this?"

Rather than entering the office to talk, Kurt turned on his heel and walked away. It was the first time he'd ever walked away from Blaine and it would not be the last. The next time he walked away would be for good.

* * *

**A/N: That was the longest chapter of the story. It will remain the longest chapter of the story. I just needed to get all of that out. The next chapter will explain their breakup and take us back to the future. Are you ready?**

**Millions of thanks to Windsor for betaing this. Truth be told, this wouldn't have gone up tonight had my son not gotten sick at school. He's better now but you all should thank his formerly queasy stomach.**


	5. Chapter 4

"Kurt Hummel? Is that you?" Blaine could not believe his eyes. Too many years, almost to the day, had passed since he'd last lay eyes on the young man that stole his heart. So many years had passed that Blaine couldn't be sure if the man before him was Kurt at all. The night was dark and the man looked different than Blaine remembered him. _It's expected. It's been years. _

Blaine stood from his seat and began to make his way towards the young man. With a head full of perfectly styled brown hair and the look of shock -or horror, Blaine could not be sure- on his face, the young man instinctively took a step back. It was as if he'd seen a ghost. Blaine was left to assume that he was the ghost because this was Kurt, the Kurt whose face he watched crumple and whose hand collided with the side of his face all those years ago. And Blaine was the man who forced him into such a reaction. Kurt was so completely anti violence but, after having a bombshell of epic proportions dropped on him, Kurt's instincts kicked in and he reacted the only way he could. It was the slap heard round the world.

Everyone near the banks of the Ottawa River, the couple's self-proclaimed special place, heard the sound of Kurt's hand colliding with Blaine's face. They then heard the sound of Blaine's gasp and Kurt's angry shouts. Each of the individuals near the river - some fishing on the cool October day while others simply enjoyed a day of unusual warmth for the time of year - turned to see what the commotion was about. They strained to hear what was being said. Some probably did hear while others were left disappointed it. Unfortunately, years later, Blaine still remembered what Kurt said to him that afternoon.

_There was a moment of silence as Kurt mulled over Blaine's words. When he finally spoke it was with a calmness that Blaine hadn't anticipated. "What do you mean when you say you cheated on me? Like you found an amazing guitarist at NYADA and you guys make beautiful music together? Is that what you mean? I'm not your favorite backup boy anymore?" Kurt asked, a look of hope in his eye. _

_Blaine sighed, hating the thought of explaining himself once again. It hurt enough the first time, a second time felt far too painful for words. "No, Kurt. I…..you're not listening to me. I didn't find a new guitarist I...I cheated." _

"_Like on Tina?" Kurt asked, still doing his best to find any response but the one that Blaine was giving him. "You found a new duet partner. You musically cheated on her. That's fine. I'm sure she expected it. And this new person will be gone when I get to New York. I've been practicing my singing with Mercedes and she says I have a great voice. I'm also writing some stuff. I wrote a song for my mom and I'm working on one for you. It will probably suck but it's for you." Kurt grinned hopefully to his boyfriend. Blaine felt as if Kurt was holding on to something, anything, before drowning in the moment. _

"_Kurt! I slept with another guy! I cheated on you! I….I don't want to talk about a song or you singing with Mercedes! I want to talk about the cheating! I want to talk about where we go from here! I want to talk about it now!" Blaine shouted, ignoring the inquiring ears that were settled here and there around the banks of the river. _

_From across the blanket that they sat on, over the picnic Kurt took such care to pack, Blaine's boyfriend's resolve broke. Almost instantly the floodgates opened and tears began to pool in the corners of Kurt's eyes. "Why would you do that?" Kurt whispered after a particularly sorrowful sniffle. "How could you?" _

_Blaine remained momentarily silent, unsure of what to say. "I…." He began. He what? He spent an hour being berated by his father and his new stepmother, spent another hour drinking his night away at a bar that didn't check identification, and yet another walking home with a guy whose name he didn't learn until the next morning. "I…." _I what? I can't remember that night but Eli, the guy, said we went all night and then some. I can't tell Kurt that. He'll be devastated. More so than he is now. _"I just cheated on you and I'm so, so sorry." _

_Kurt's hand flew back and launched at Blaine's face before either knew what was happening. It floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. Blaine's own hand immediately flew up to his face as a reaction to the impact. "You're right! You are sorry!" Kurt shouted as he scurried to his feet. "You're a sorry, sorry excuse for a boyfriend and I think we should be through." With his words said and his decision made, Kurt turned and stomped away, a tiny crowd of onlookers watching as he went. _

_Disappointed in himself, in Kurt, in their entire situation, Blaine made no effort to move. Instead he sat stationary on their blanket and watched the day go by. Later that evening, just as the sun was beginning to set, Blaine gathered their things and returned to his mother's home to help her pack. She was selling the house and moving to New York, much to Blaine's excitement. He could feel the raw emotions of his breakup beginning to kick in and he knew he was going to need his mother if he was going to get through them unscathed. _

* * *

"Kurt?" Just the sound of his name sent Kurt spiraling down the rabbit hole and into a world that he thought was left behind long ago. He was Alice and Blaine was The Caterpillar, The Mad Hatter, The Cheshire Cat, and The Queen of Hearts all at once. _Off with his head!_ Kurt wouldn't have minded. His brain was in a tailspin and it may have done him a bit of good to have it detached from the rest of his body. "Kurt?"

Instantly, Kurt was pulled back from the imaginative world he'd suddenly fallen into. It was safe there and Kurt honestly wanted to stay. He could not, however. He was on the eve of future and he was staring straight into the past. Kurt shook his mind back to reality just in time to see Blaine, the same Blaine that he hadn't seen in years, take another step towards him.

Instinctively Kurt stepped back. He hadn't meant to, it just happened, much to Blaine's dismay. "Kurt?" The man who looked so much like the boy that Kurt loved years ago, but who also looked so different said with a hint of sadness in his voice. After a moment of hesitation, Kurt nodded slowly.

"Hi Blaine." He squeaked, completely unsure of how to handle the intensity of the situation. Having been spotted and recognized the second he walked out of the tiny bar, Kurt couldn't flee. He was caught and now he had to deal with the consequences. "Ummm..whoa….I was just thinking about you." He spewed like verbal vomit.

Blaine made a scoffing sound, much to Kurt's dismay. "That's crazy!" He announced after a moment had passed. "I was just thinking about you as well. Had I known that was all it took to get your Spidey Senses tingling I would have thought about you a lot more in the past handful of years."

_Ouch! That hurt!_ Kurt tried not to let his disdain for the fact that Blaine had been able to go so long without thinking of him show. Unfortunately, Blaine still knew the warning signs and quickly amended his statement. "Whoa! That came out wrong. What I meant was, I would have worked harder to think about you instead of just pushing you to a corner in my mind. Wow. That's still kind of bad. What I meant was…"

Kurt sighed as he held up a hand, begging Blaine to stop rambling. Some things never changed. Blaine still knew how to put his foot in his mouth like a champ. "It's….yeah...I get it. And….same." Kurt advised. "I….same." Blaine sighed, obviously relieved that Kurt believed him.

The two stood, staring at one another for what felt like a lifetime. Kurt shifted from foot to foot nervously as Blaine's eyes traveled over his body. It was to be expected. Kurt was quite aware of the differences in his appearance since the last time Blaine saw him. He was thinner, more defined, and-

"You're taller than me now." Blaine stated simply as his eyes reached Kurt's. "Like...by a few inches."

"Yeah…." Kurt replied lamely, still having issues with his words. "I….it happened when…..college."

"Hm…cool." Blaine was obviously having the same issues because his words were just as mangled and mixed up as Kurt's.

Another moment passed between the two before Blaine spoke again. This time, he said something that Kurt hadn't expected. "I….ummm...I was here to….gather my thoughts I guess and I-"

"Oh...do you want me to leave?" Kurt squeaked, because of course Blaine didn't want to hang out with him and did Kurt actually want to sit and talk to Blaine? _Probably not._

"What? No." Blaine exclaimed. "I...I was actually going to ask if you would like to join me. I feel like everything happens for a reason and I can't, in good conscious, let you walk away without trying to at least have a conversation with you."

Blaine stepped aside and motioned to the table in the far corner that he'd occupied moments before Kurt stepped out into the night. There were two seats and it was positioned perfectly beneath a tiny, decorative tree that was strung with white Christmas lights. In ways, it reminded Kurt of the first day they sat under the giant tree in the McKinley courtyard. The thought caused Kurt the tiniest bit of distress. If he stayed and talked with Blaine would he be starting the all over again? Would the similarities that ran through Kurt's head play out in real life? Did things happen for a reason? How had they been thinking about each other and then, suddenly, in each other's presence? The questions were endless and Kurt's concern was mounting.

"Unless you don't want to. I understand if you have friends to get back to." The forced smile on Blaine's face, and the hopeful glint in his eyes made Kurt's decision far less complicated than he imagined.

"I don't have anyone to get back to and I would love to stay and talk with you." He eventually replied. He made a step towards the table and felt Blaine fall in line behind him. Whatever ill will Kurt held towards Blaine was temporarily buried beneath the fact that Blaine was Blaine and, with Blaine, Kurt would always a fool that rushed in.

* * *

Nestled in the furthest corner of the tiny yard with the decorated trees and the moonlight as their source of illumination, Kurt and Blaine visited with one another. Their initial conversation was awkward, neither knowing how nor where to begin. While Kurt seemed content to listen, Blaine couldn't seem to stop talking. He went on and on and on about everything that led up to that night in attempts to make the situation less awkward. Unfortunately, he was doing a horrible job.

"I met my friend Sam in college. Well...in the college. He was waiting tables during my freshman year and he played guitar and seemed kind of cool so I…." Blaine stopped when he noticed the slight change in Kurt's expression.

_What do you mean when you say you cheated on me? Like you found an amazing guitarist at NYADA and you guys make beautiful music together?_

"Not him!" Blaine couldn't help but clarify. "I mean….I met Sam after…._that_…..he's a good guy and we're still friends now." Blaine explained as he mentally berated himself for bringing up the one thing he'd hoped to avoid since Kurt agreed to sit down with him.

_Well….since I brought it up_…. "Kurt, about that. I just wanted to apologize again for-" Kurt held up a hand, silencing the older man.

"Don't. It's been so many years and I'm over it. We were teenagers and teenage love never lasts." Kurt replied, almost bitterly. Blaine felt the weight of guilt settle on his chest. He would never forget the look of hurt on Kurt's face that day. He would never forget the sense of regret in his heart every day since. There was something about Kurt that Blaine knew he should have held on to and he regretted not doing that every day of his life whether he realized it or not. "Besides, it's not like we haven't both moved on. You've been telling me all about your college life, your friends, and your career, now it's my turn."

* * *

If there was one thing Kurt Hummel knew how to do, it was save face. When in doubt, Kurt always faked his way out. During Junior High when he realized he was gay, Kurt did what he could to make sure his father did not find out. When he started getting bullied his junior year, just after his breakup with Blaine, Kurt made sure none of his tormentors saw him sweat. When his father asked why he chose Chicago and not New York as originally planned, Kurt held his ground and refused to admit that it was because Blaine was in New York. Finally, when Blaine brought up one of the few open wounds that Kurt still possessed from his teenage years, Kurt put on a smile and pretended that their breakup barely affected him at all. _Sometimes I think I should have been a drama major, rather than a music and performance major._

"Let's see...where do I begin. Oh yes, college. I went to school in Chicago, where I met the girls. Chelsea, Emily, and Kate." Kurt exclaimed, almost manically.

"And who are these girls?" Blaine asked, completely enthralled by Kurt's change in demeanor, much to Kurt's delight.

"Well, they're my band. Chels on the keyboard, Emily on the bass, and Kitty Kate on the drums." Kurt explained as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Kurt Elizabeth and The Dirty Diamonds. They all believe themselves to be diamonds in the ruff but I think they're clarity is perfect."

Blaine grinned warmly at the man that sat in the patio chair to his right. Kurt was known for his ability to build others up before he built himself up. "That's….awesome Kurt." And, from the sounds of it, he meant each word. "I'm so excited that you're in a band and doing so well. I can't say that I'm surprised though. I always knew you'd do well. You're Kurt, you always forge your own way and make things happen for yourself. You're…._great_ like that."

Kurt furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of how exactly he felt about Blaine referring to him as _great_. Part of him was elated, so excited that someone found him to be great in a way that was not promptly followed by 'in bed'. The other part of him was a bit saddened that Blaine could not see how _great _he was when they were together. _Stop that. That was years ago_.

"Thank you." Kurt eventually sighed. "It's nice to know that someone thinks I'm amazing. I don't always feel it." Yet another unexpected turn sent the conversation rocketing into another direction. Despite the reservations he felt, Kurt was astonished that how easy it was for him to speak with Blaine. While it was not nearly as easy as it had been in high school, it was much better than Kurt ever expected given their history.

The two continued to talk for another hour. The air grew cooler as the night marched on but neither man cared. They were far more concerned with listening to the other's account of their life up until that point. Kurt found out that Blaine had only one other serious relationship -_there is something there that he's not telling me about. I can see it in his face but he's ignoring it_- and Blaine found out that Kurt's father opened his sixth shop a few years prior -_that's a lot of fucking rubber and lube_. Despite the awkward air that still hung between them, the two men were able to enjoy what time they had together without the pretenses of the past looming over them like storm clouds.

Just as Kurt began a story about himself, Emily, and a lab monkey from college, Blaine's phone vibrated. Kurt stopped speaking immediately while Blaine answered it.

"What's up, Coop?" Blaine asked as he held up a finger to Kurt, letting him know that it would only be a moment. Just after Kurt nodded his own phone rang. It was a message from Chelsea.

**Where the fuck are you? - Chels C**

**I'll be back in a minute. - Kurt**

Kurt sent the message just in time to hear Blaine say, "Yeah, I'll be there in a second." He then watched as the musician disconnected his call and turned to face him. "I hate to cut this short but Santana is on the prowl, she thinks I got lost somewhere over the rainbow in search of The Lollipop Guild; her words, not mine. So, I have to go."

"Well, your timing is fabulous because I have to go as well. The girls can't seem to function without me." Kurt advised as me made his way to his feet. "This was….interesting though. I can honestly say that I did not expect to see you." Lie. Kurt hoped he would not run into Blaine while his band followed the musician around the country but he fully expected it to happen at some point.

Blaine chuckled. "Neither did I. It was nice though, I think. Not gonna lie, it was kind of weird. Ya know….with our past and all but, well...I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how we ended. You're a great person and I-"

"The past is in the past, Blaine." Kurt warned as he had before. "Life is too short to hold on to things like that. Let's just agree that things weren't handled well that day and leave it there."

"I can do that."

"Good. Now, I really do have to go."

"Okay. Can I….can we….I hate thinking that we're just going to part ways, never to see one another again." Blaine began, nerves took him over as he spoke. "So, I was wondering if….do you think we could exchange numbers? Maybe I could catch up with you after the tour."

Kurt pondered the thought for a moment before deciding that Blaine would likely never actually call him. He was being polite and, since Kurt was also a polite guy, he decided to play along. "Sure, why not."

The two exchanged number quickly before making their way back into the building. Just before heading back to the main bar Kurt turned to Blaine and said, "Oh….and we'll see about getting back together when you're off tour….that is if I'm off tour as well." An intrigued look passed over Blaine's face just as Kurt turned and headed back to his friend's, once again walking away from Blaine but this time on much better terms.

* * *

Chelsea spit her drink out on the counter, much to the disgust of her friends and Sebastian. "This isn't Patron, its water!" She shouted in Sebastian's general direction. The bartender/owner paid her no mind. He was too busy chatting with his dear friend Emily.

"I don't know why you keep such company." The brunette commented as he rolled his eyes. "You're so much better than that."

"I heard that!" Chelsea shouted in a harsh, New England accent. "And I still want my damn drink!"

"And I still want my damn money!" Sebastian shouted back. Chelsea rolled her eyes in response and turned her attention to her phone and Kate's untouched drink.

"You two need to stop." Emily, a city girl with a heart of gold and a head full of curly, black locks, chuckled as she reached for the drink Sebastian was handing her. "You're always fighting and it never solves anything. Seb, Chelsea is still going to come here for drinks and you're still going to serve her even if she refuses to pay. You do it because she's my friend and you love me."

"True." Sebastian replied as he cleared her empty drink cup. Kate huffed in the background, frustrated by the relationship the bartender and her bassist bestie had.

"Why do you like her so much?" Kate whined as she batted Chelsea's hand away from her drink. "I'm nice to you and you're a douche bag to me. Is it because I called you a slut that one time? I was drunk and you were being a total whore."

Sebastian deadpanned. "You called me a douche bag and a whore in the matter in less than ten seconds. That's why I'm not nice to you….and why I've been adding her," he pointed to Chelsea, "drinks to your tabs."

Kate gasped dramatically. "You big…._meanie_!" She hissed.

"Yeah!" Chelsea agreed. "You know what, we don't have to take this. Where is Hummel? We're supposed to be in D. C. tomorrow night for a show and I want to spend the day visiting all the National museums of National, not driving. I say we hit the road."

"Ohhh...I was looking forward to visiting the National museums of National as well." Emily giggled. She was growing more excited about their tour by the moment.

Chelsea, who was pulling her long, golden colored hair back into a bun -something she did when the alcohol in her system raised her body temperature- nodded. Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows. "What are the National museums of National?" He asked.

Kate rolled her eyes. Idiot. "It's all the museums in D. C. that we can't remember the names of. If you put National in front of it then that makes it official so….yeah. And I agree ladies. It's time to get this damn show on the road. Where is Hummel?"

"I'll text him." Chelsea responded. The girls watched as Chelsea texted their friend and then waited patiently for his reply. "He'll be here in a sec. In the meantime, let's help gather his shit so we can take it to the van."

Kate nodded and began to gather her friend's things with her fellow band members. By the time Kurt walked back into the main bar a few minutes later, they had his things ready and waiting. "Oh my….I can carry my own things." He insisted when he saw his friend's holding his bags.

Sebastian shook his head in the background. "Idiot." He mumbled. "If someone wants to carry your bags then let them."

Kate, Kurt, and Chelsea shot dirty looks at the bartender while Emily playfully rolled her eyes. "Don't be like that, Seb."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sebastian said as he made his way from behind the counter for the first time that evening. While he had other members of his tiny staff attending to the private party in the other room, Sebastian stayed behind the bar, chit chatting with his friend most of the evening.

Sebastian crossed the room quickly and wrapped his arms tightly around Emily. "Have fun, sis. Don't let these bad influences rub off on you."

"I'm not into rubbing off on girls." Kurt commented, much to the amusement of his friends.

"It depends on what she looks like." Kate added. "I love you Emily but you aren't my type. I like my women to look like RuPaul."

Chelsea quickly cut in. "So you like your women to look like men? So then you just like men."

Kate shot her a look. "Just don't okay."

"Stop it guys." Emily shouted playfully. "You guys are something else." They were, all four of them were something else and they would find out just what that something else was over the next few months on their tour.

* * *

**A/N: Hiya guys. Thank you to all of you that reviewed last chapter and a special thanks in advance to those of you that will review this one (I look forward to reading your opinions and thoughts). Life is about to start getting hectic so updates may slow down a bit. Just know that your reviews make me want to stay up that extra hour for writing purposes.**

**Big thanks to Windsor and Belle for their input and superior intellect. :)**

**Next chapter – D. C. **


End file.
